New York Knicks: 15 greatest floor generals of all-time

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(Original Caption) Eastern All Stars Scrimmage against NY Knicks. Madison Square Garden. New York, New York: Dick McGuire going up for lay up that was good while David Alton of Colgate, who is going to play on the Eastern Stars, tries in vain to block shot. Game was a scrimmage game. March 27, 1951. /

. Point guard. 1949-57. Dick McGuire. 7. player. 27

Dick McGuire was one of the first true point guards in NBA history, someone who really was the leader on the court for the Knicks.

Guys didn’t have much skill back in the 50’s, which meant teams had to work together in order to win games. McGuire was the leader of the offense, which meant that such success started with him.

Playing in an era where the fundamentals were all any player ever had, McGuire was tasked with running the offense, and he did so about as well as anyone. Even in its most complex form, the game was about reading the defense and making the easy pass to the open man, which McGuire was able to do more often than not.

He actually led the league in assists during his rookie season with 386 dimes, which equates out to 5.7 a game. This is truly a remarkable feat even back then, as it shows the type of leader McGuire was even at such an early stage of his NBA career. His career 5.7 assists per game average don’t scream elite floor general, but like most players on this list, it came in limited minutes, 28.3 per game to be exact.

Currently No. 3 all-time in assists in Knicks history with 2,950, it’s clear McGuire laid the foundation for what a point guard was supposed to be in New York. It’s cliché, but he played the right way, always looking to get teammate involved and constantly making the precise pass at the correct time.