The New York Knicks are one of the NBA’s oldest franchises, with a long history of making draft picks. Many of those players have gone on to Hall of Fame careers, names like Patrick Ewing, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, and Willis Reed, all of whom were drafted by the Knicks.
There is an ugly underbelly to drafting, however, and one that the Knicks have also been a part of. Sometimes when you draft a player they turn into an All-Star; other times they completely flame out and give your franchise absolutely nothing. The Knicks have a lot of those stories throughout their history.
New York Knicks all-time draft bust starting 5
Digging into the long list of Knicks draft busts is an arduous task; the list is, unfortunately, extremely long. Every team has a list of draft disappointments, especially if they have been around as long as the Knicks, but few have been as good at whiffing in the draft as the Knickerbockers.
Even so, we have waded in so that you do not have to, and come away with the definitive “New York Knicks all-time draft bust starting 5.” These five players highlight multiple eras of draft failures for the Knicks, taking into account the pick used (higher picks being more painful to waste), which players came behind, and just how little they contributed to both the Knicks and the NBA.
With apologies to Renaldo Balkman, Mike Sweetney, Frederic Weis, Jerrod Mustaf, and Gene Short, here is the all-time draft bust starting 5.