Highlighting some of the forgotten players from the nineties Knicks.
New York Knicks fans who lived through the 1990s were never completely satisfied during that era, as the team failed to win a NBA championship. However, years later, those same fans look back at that decade with admiration and nostalgia for when their favorite team was a perennial contender, instead of whatever they are now (the opposite).
While we all know the obvious names that filled the rough ‘n tumble rosters of those nineties Knicks teams, there are some players people might have forgotten about since then, but who played a role in helping the team remain competitive for the entire decade.
Think about this: as New York just completed their seventh consecutive season without sniffing the playoffs, from 1987 until 2001, the organization played in the postseason every single year.
Focusing on the nineties, from 1989-90 to 1998-99, the Knicks appeared in 124 playoff games, winning 65 of them, and reaching the NBA Finals twice. Imagine that!
So while players like Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley and John Starks and Anthony Mason have received plenty of fanfare in celebration of those competitive Knicks teams, let’s take a walk down memory lane and highlight a few of their unheralded teammates. Granted, Knicks fans never forget a player who suited up in blue and orange – once a Knick, always a Knick – but these are players that don’t come to mind when you first think of the 1990s Knicks.
Forgotten Knicks from the 1990s: Chris Mills
Chris Mills is probably most remembered among Knicks fans for the trades that he was involved in. New York acquired him from the Celtics in 1997 in a deal that sent several young players to Boston. He was later part of the trade that brought Latrell Sprewell to Madison Square Garden.
Shortly after the Celtics had signed Mills to a seven-year, $33.6 million contract, they realized he didn’t fit in the up-tempo style of play being implemented by former Knicks coach Rick Pitino. Looking to add depth to their aging frontcourt, the Knicks made a “win now” move by sending Scott Brooks, Dontae’ Jones, Walter McCarty, John Thomas, and a second round pick to Boston for the veteran forward.
Mills would play 80 games during the 1997-98 season, finding his name in the starting lineup 29 times when various players were lost to injury. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over the course of the season, while shooting 43.3% from the field, a drop off from his 46.1% rate over the previous two years in Cleveland.
Added to the roster to help bolster the team’s playoff chances, Mills played some key minutes during the ’98 playoff run, offering strong defense. However, he was suspended for Game 5 of their first round match-up against the Heat, along with Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, after leaving the bench during a fight that broke out at the end of Game 4.
After the 97-98 season, the Knicks shipped Mills, along with Terry Cummings and John Starks, to Golden State to acquire Latrell Sprewell.
Forgotten Knicks from the 1990s: Herb Williams
This is one player that I know Knicks fans haven’t really forgotten, but his name is reserved for fans from that timeframe. If you attended a game at Madison Square Garden while Herb was on the end of the bench in the mid-to-late nineties, you were probably one of the people cheering for him to get some playing time.
The beloved big man played a key back-up role to Ewing, both on the court and as a veteran leader in the locker room. From 1993-1995, he played 181 games, doing very little to get noticed in the box score, but providing a stable presence to give Ewing spells during those seasons.
After retiring from the NBA, Herb would return to the Knicks as an assistant coach under Don Chaney and Lenny Wilkens. He served as interim coach for 44 games between the 2003-04 and 2004-05 season before Larry Brown took over.
While Knicks fans mostly remember Williams for his calming presence on the bench, he was a pretty good player early in his career for the Indiana Pacers. His best season coming in 1984-85 when he averaged 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, on top of 3.4 assists.
Forgotten Knicks from the 1990s: Anthony Bonner
When you think of Knicks forwards from the nineties, several names come to mind before Anthony Bonner’s. However, the rugged forward played 131 games for New York between 1993 and 1995.
Signed as a free agent from the Sacramento Kings, Bonner gave the Pat Riley-led group added depth behind Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, and Charles Smith. The key with Bonner was that the team didn’t miss a beat in playing elbows out and nose-to-the-floor with him replacing a regular starter on the court.
While he rarely lit up the scoresheet, when Riley needed Bonner to give him depth minutes, he didn’t disappoint. During one stretch in 1993-94, filling in for Charles Smith, the Knicks won 15 games in a row with Bonner starting at small forward. There were several stretches like this during his Knicks career.
In the end, he only averaged 4.5 points while playing in New York, but receiving only 19 minutes per game, sometimes coming in cold after several nights off, he gave the team what they needed in rebounding the basketball, playing hard on defense, and knocking down the occasional shot.