New York Knicks: Stars Aren’t Always The Answer

Revisiting Past Success

In order to truly appreciate how important depth is, one should revisit the New York Knicks’ most recent seasons of significant success. In doing so, we travel to one season and a full era to remember: 2012-13 and the 1990s.

It’s sad to realize, but since the 1990s, the Knicks haven’t done much of anything outside of 2012-13.

In 2012-13, Carmelo Anthony had what may have been his finest season. He won the 2013 scoring title, received a vote for MVP, and led New York to 54 wins—the most by any Knicks team since 1996-97.

Surrounding Anthony was not a cast of stars—the other star, Amar’e Stoudemire, missed 53 games—but a group of role players that included Tyson Chandler, Chris Copeland, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and J.R. Smith.

In the 1990s, the Knicks were built around Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing. Despite making the playoffs in 13 consecutive seasons, New York failed to complement Ewing with another legitimate star.

The complementary players—Anthony Mason, Charles Oakley, John Starks, and so forth—thrived because they fit New York’s identity.

Next: A New Identity