New York Knicks: Ranking the 5 most disappointing seasons since 2010
4) Knicks most disappointing seasons: 2010-11
Record: 42-40 (6th in East)
Coming in at number four is the 2010-11 Knicks, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and was just the beginning of the Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire era… right?
Well, the 2010-11 Knicks were the last and only time we would see Amar’e Stoudemire play at a high level after pledging four years and a $100 million to him in the offseason.
In the 2010 NBA offseason, the Knicks were prepared to make a splash and acquire two max free agents (sound familiar?). GM Donnie Walsh, a former Pacers executive, had been planning for the loaded 2010 offseason since 2008. Walsh got rid of Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Nate Robinson, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, and others to be in the position to offer contracts to Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, or Amar’e Stoudemire.
As we all know, Lebron, Wade, and Bosh all signed with the Heat, but the Knicks did not strike out! They signed Suns big man Amar’e Stoudemire, who was fresh off a Western Conference finals berth, to reunite with head coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks traded David Lee to Golden State and signed Raymond Felton to run the point.
Amar’e was already comfortable in Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense, and he, and the Knicks, found early success that season. They had the franchise’s best start to a season since 2000-01 with a record of 16-9, winning 13 of 14 at one point.
During that 13-1 stretch, Amar’e Stoudemire went on a scoring streak with nine straight games of 30+ points—37, 35, 34, 31, 34, 34, 36, 30, 39. The Knicks went 8-1 in that stretch, losing heartbreakingly to the Boston Celtics on a called off game-winning three by Stoudemire at the buzzer.
Amar’e received MVP chants and was a legit candidate for putting the Knicks on his back. He received help from Raymond Felton, who was averaging 17 points and 9 assists, and the Knicks’ young guns who stretched the court for him: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Landry Fields.
They beat Derrick Rose’s Bulls on Christmas and defeated the league-best San Antonio Spurs, who were 29-4 at the time. The Knicks were 20-14 with big wins over the Bulls, Spurs, and Thunder, putting the league on notice that the Knicks were back.
They started to come back to earth though and sat at 28-26 at the all-star weekend—cue in an impatient James Dolan.
Carmelo Anthony was frustrated in Denver and desired a trade. The New Jersey Nets were aggressive in their pursuit of Carmelo, but he wanted to be in New York and would not re-sign with any other team. James Dolan wanted to make a splash ahead of the playoffs and forced Donnie Walsh to trade for Carmelo despite being an upcoming free agent.
The Knicks gave up the house for Carmelo and also received veteran Chauncey Billups as part of the deal. Carmelo hit game-winners vs. the Grizzlies and Pacers, but it would take time for Carmelo and the Knicks to adjust to each other.
The team finished the season 14-14 with Carmelo, and they secured the 6th seed in the east, facing off with the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks were underdogs but nearly stole games one and two in Boston. In game one, Ray Allen hit a clutch three with 11.6 seconds left, and Carmelo clanged the final shot, stirring up controversy on why the hot Amar’e did not take the shot.
However, it would only get worse. Billups went down in game one and did not play for the rest of the series. Amar’e tweaked his back in pregame before game two and was in severe pain. Carmelo Anthony put together one of the greatest Knicks playoff performances with 42 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, the Celtics were too much for the Knicks, and they squeaked out a win on the final possession, 96-93. The Knicks would lose by double digits in both games 3 and 4, clearly hindered by Amar’e being hurt and Billups out.
The season was exhilarating as the Knicks finally sniffed the playoffs and were ultimately competent with two stars in Carmelo and Amar’e. However, it left a lot to be desired. The Knicks cooling off after being 20-14 was disappointing, and the injuries to Amar’e and Billups threw the Knicks off vs. Boston.
If they were healthy, maybe the Knicks would have made it a competitive series instead of being swept. Despite its disappointing end, the season was encouraging, and with a full season of Carmelo and Amar’e, maybe the Knicks would do the sweeping next time.