New York Knicks: Building An All-Time Starting Five

Small Forward: Bernard King

This is your quintessential battle between the past and the present. Carmelo Anthony earned significant power in this debate by leading the New York Knicks to 54 wins in 2012-13, and anyone dismissing him is ignoring his legitimate value.

With all due respect to what Anthony has done, the best small forward to ever don the orange and blue is Bernard King.

The general consensus across the NBA is that, had he remained healthy, King would be regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time. His scoring prowess was unmatched, with a complete and well-versed game that knew no limits.

No matter the era, King would’ve been one of the most explosive scorers in the world—and that makes him the choice at small forward.

Anthony has made his name as the complete package as a scorer. King did everything that Anthony does, however, and was quicker with the ball, more explosive in transition, and played with an incomparable intensity when he stepped onto the court.

King had moves on top of moves, skills on top of skills, a 60-point game, back-to-back 50-point outings, and the raw power to dominate any era imaginable.

Next: Power Forward