The New York Knicks made two selections in the 1994 NBA Draft, weeks after their heartbreaking loss in the NBA Finals to the Houston Rockets.
The New York Knicks had a successful 1993-94 run. At the time it was their best season since winning the championship in the ’70s, finally making the NBA Finals. The title was in reach, but the Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets in seven games. This remains their closest attempt at capturing it all.
That brought the Knicks to the 1994 offseason, with two picks in the NBA Draft, both of which in the first round. It was their first year with two first-round picks since 1979, when Bill Cartwright headlined that class.
How did the 1994 draft class eventually shape up? Let’s take a look:
Slash Line (with Knicks): .432/.000/.478
Career Averages (with Knicks): 2.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Perhaps best known for coaching the New Orleans Pelicans and recently taking the same job in Phoenix, Monty Williams became the 24th pick of the draft after three standout years at Notre Dame, including 22.4 points before a collegiate exit.
Success did not translate quickly for Williams, however. His 55 games with the New York Knicks only resulted in 43.2 percent shooting for 2.8 points. 23 of those games were starts in 1994-95, but in a year of just 12.3 minutes per contest.
By the middle of the 1995-96 season, the Knicks sent Williams to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a deal that netted a 1996 first-round pick. This destination became maybe the best run of his career, starting 42 of 154 games for 7.1 points. The first season happened when David Robinson went down with a season-ending injury and forced the Spurs into the No. 1 pick for 1997, and the following year brought this team back to playoff prominence.
Another part-time starter stint followed with the Orlando Magic, where he stayed through 2002. 21 games with Philadelphia in 2002-03 wrapped up an eight year career.
Slash Line (with Knicks): .413/.366/.770
Career Averages (with Knicks): 6.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 3PM
The same Charlie Ward who played football and basketball at Florida State became New York’s pick just two spots later. While a late first-round pick, this became a stalwart at Madison Square Garden for the next decade.
It took until 1996-97 for Ward to make an impact, taking on over 20 minutes per night, and by 1997-98, he became a full-time starter. This never led to gaudy numbers, but he held his own with 5.7 assists in a full 82-game campaign. Another 5.4 followed in 1998-99, when the Knicks made the NBA Finals in the strike-shortened season.
Ward even developed into a good three-point shooter along the way. He hit no fewer than 35 percent of his outside shots from 1997-01, and it was as long as his prominent role stuck.
By 2001-02, Ward was a role player off the bench, sacrificing minutes to Mark Jackson, who had returned the season before. Howard Eisley played ahead of him the following year.
2003-04 was Ward’s final year in New York, as he went to the Suns in the Stephon Marbury blockbuster, only to be waived one day later. The Spurs scooped up the veteran guard for the rest of the year, and the Houston Rockets gave him 14 games the year after, before calling it a career at age 34.
The next draft retrospective for the New York Knicks will follow the 1996 class.