The 15 greatest bigs in New York Knicks history

Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby came to the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors in the 1997-98 season, and at the time he was coming off of impressive rookie and sophomore seasons in which he had averaged 14.8 and 12.1 points respectively.

When he got to New York, there just wasn’t enough floor time to truly unleash him. But in just 20.5 minutes a game that season, Camby contributed meaningful stats in what was the last NBA Finals push we would see under the Ewing regime.

Jeff Van Gundy was high on Camby, and rightfully so. Camby in the coming years blossomed in New York.

He averaged a double-double in both 2001 and 2002, and he even made it a point to return and retire in New York as a member of the STAT and Melo 2012-13 playoff push.

Marcus Camby was a unique player because he could spread the floor, he was athletic and nimble for a guard, except he wasn’t a guard, he was a 6-11 bonafide center.

Camby was also one of the best shot blockers of his time. In his sophomore season, he was blocking the ball 3.7 times per contest. That’s just ridiculous.

He did more damage as a menacing rim protector during his Knick tenure, and he had a great set of mentors in Herb Williams and the legendary Patrick Ewing. He was the anchor and the hope that kept the Knicks in the mix after Ewing, Starks and other legends had moved on from the Garden.