9 Players the New York Knicks gave up on way too soon

3. Rod Strickland

The New York Knicks had not quite ascended to the level of perennial Eastern Conference contenders in 1988 when they drafted Rod Strickland 19th overall. That changed immediately, as the following season the Knicks won 52 games under head coach Rick Pitino. The rookie Strickland settled in as the backup point guard behind Mark Jackson and made the 1989 All-Rookie Team.

Having tasted success, the Knicks (stop me if you’ve heard this before) got impatient and decided to trade a talented young player for a much older veteran. They sent Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs for 33-year-old point guard Maurice Cheeks in the middle of Strickland’s second season.

Cheeks averaged 7.9 points per game the rest of that season and 7.8 points and 5.7 assists the next year before the Knicks sent him on his way. Strickland, on the other hand, put up 14.2 points and eight assists per game for a really good Spurs team anchored by a rookie David Robinson. Strickland became his starting point guard for the next few seasons

Strickland went on to have a 17-year career, leading the league in assists with the Washington Bullets in 1996-97 and making an All-NBA team in 1998. Not only should the Knicks have kept Strickland, but he was also probably the better choice over Mark Jackson. They gave up on Strickland way too soon.