The New York Knicks have the kind of storied past that you could only expect from a team named for kneepants. (Actually, in truth the Knicks were named for Father Knickerbocker, a character from a Washington Irving novel, but why let the truth get in the way of a good point?) After a breezy, winning start in 1946—they made the NBA finals for three straight seasons in the 1950s—the Knicks fell into disrepair in the years following its legendary loss to the Philadephia Warriors in March of 1962, a game in which Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.
Once players like Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier joined the franchise in the late 1960s, the teamed turned around again, and won its first NBA title in 1970 against the Los Angeles Lakers. But the team only enjoyed a few more winning seasons before returning to its losing ways. It wasn’t until the arrival of 7-foot center Patrick Ewing from Georgetown in 1985 that the Knicks began a rebuilding of its franchise; under the leadership of its dynamic new president, Dave Checketts, the Knicks hired NBA title-winner Pat Riley from the Lakers and added shooting guard John Starks to the mix. By the 1992-1993 season, the Knicks had returned to the playoffs and title contention; in the spring of 1994, the team made it back to the NBA finals for the first time in decades, and almost took the title before losing to the Houston Rockets in the seventh, deciding game.
Pain, futility and the Knicks have been irrevocably linked in recent years. Despite all-star lineups (Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, Charles Oakley), shrewd coaching (Don Nelson, Jeff Van Gundy) and smart management (Checketts as president and Ernie Grunfeld running the operations), mishaps, brawls and injuries have taken the team to the brink of success, only to have it snatched away by errant finger rolls and opponents’ three-pointers. The notion of the Knicks making it to serious playoff contention anytime soon has become as much of a joke as its jacked-up ticket prices, which has made it impossible for a serious fan to enter Madison Square Garden—even in the nosebleeds—for less than $50 a pop.
And to whom do we owe our thanks for this ungodly mess? That’s the easiest Knicks trivia question you’ll ever have to answer. It’s James Dolan, the 51-year-old president and chief executive officer of Cablevision Systems Corp., which owns Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks. He’s the goateed goon who sits under the basket perpendicular to the Knicks bench at most home games, usually accompanied by an unidentified (to protect the innocent) blonde. But make no mistake, Dolan is a winner: A Sports Illustrated poll recently earned him the honor of worst team owner in the NBA.
Under Dolan’s leadership, the Knicks have spiraled into the worst mess of its recent history. In December of 2003, Dolan brought in Isiah Thomas as the new president of the Knicks, overseeing Lenny Wilkens as head coach. The team got knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round, and Wilkens eventually left, replaced by former Knicks star Herb Williams as interim coach. Dolan’s misguided hiring of all-star coach Larry Brown the following fall to a five-year, $50 million contract wasted a year of rebuilding; Brown couldn’t handle the one star Dolan had left in the lineup—Brooklyn’s own Stephon Marbury—after sending Latrell Sprewell to the Minnesota Timberwolves. All sorts of trades have left the Knicks missing many of its finest young players (remember Trevor Ariza) and pinning its hopes on on-again, off-again talent like David Lee and Nate Robinson—the latter having found himself in the now-legendary brawl with the Denver Nuggets last winter that cost him a multi-game suspension.
Will things go better this year? Thomas sent up-and-comer Channing Frye to the Portland Trailblazers (with Steve Francis) for Zach Randolph. He’s a perfect fit with the Knicks’ new mentality: anything goes, and nobody wins. But it’s worth noting that, in a typically unpredictable Monday night, the Knicks beat Philadelphia, 101-92, with David Lee scoring 18 points, and another 17 from Zach Randolph. That makes them undefeated so far.
Once players like Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier joined the franchise in the late 1960s, the teamed turned around again, and won its first NBA title in 1970 against the Los Angeles Lakers. But the team only enjoyed a few more winning seasons before returning to its losing ways. It wasn’t until the arrival of 7-foot center Patrick Ewing from Georgetown in 1985 that the Knicks began a rebuilding of its franchise; under the leadership of its dynamic new president, Dave Checketts, the Knicks hired NBA title-winner Pat Riley from the Lakers and added shooting guard John Starks to the mix. By the 1992-1993 season, the Knicks had returned to the playoffs and title contention; in the spring of 1994, the team made it back to the NBA finals for the first time in decades, and almost took the title before losing to the Houston Rockets in the seventh, deciding game.
Pain, futility and the Knicks have been irrevocably linked in recent years. Despite all-star lineups (Larry Johnson, Latrell Sprewell, Charles Oakley), shrewd coaching (Don Nelson, Jeff Van Gundy) and smart management (Checketts as president and Ernie Grunfeld running the operations), mishaps, brawls and injuries have taken the team to the brink of success, only to have it snatched away by errant finger rolls and opponents’ three-pointers. The notion of the Knicks making it to serious playoff contention anytime soon has become as much of a joke as its jacked-up ticket prices, which has made it impossible for a serious fan to enter Madison Square Garden—even in the nosebleeds—for less than $50 a pop.
And to whom do we owe our thanks for this ungodly mess? That’s the easiest Knicks trivia question you’ll ever have to answer. It’s James Dolan, the 51-year-old president and chief executive officer of Cablevision Systems Corp., which owns Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks. He’s the goateed goon who sits under the basket perpendicular to the Knicks bench at most home games, usually accompanied by an unidentified (to protect the innocent) blonde. But make no mistake, Dolan is a winner: A Sports Illustrated poll recently earned him the honor of worst team owner in the NBA.
Under Dolan’s leadership, the Knicks have spiraled into the worst mess of its recent history. In December of 2003, Dolan brought in Isiah Thomas as the new president of the Knicks, overseeing Lenny Wilkens as head coach. The team got knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round, and Wilkens eventually left, replaced by former Knicks star Herb Williams as interim coach. Dolan’s misguided hiring of all-star coach Larry Brown the following fall to a five-year, $50 million contract wasted a year of rebuilding; Brown couldn’t handle the one star Dolan had left in the lineup—Brooklyn’s own Stephon Marbury—after sending Latrell Sprewell to the Minnesota Timberwolves. All sorts of trades have left the Knicks missing many of its finest young players (remember Trevor Ariza) and pinning its hopes on on-again, off-again talent like David Lee and Nate Robinson—the latter having found himself in the now-legendary brawl with the Denver Nuggets last winter that cost him a multi-game suspension.
Will things go better this year? Thomas sent up-and-comer Channing Frye to the Portland Trailblazers (with Steve Francis) for Zach Randolph. He’s a perfect fit with the Knicks’ new mentality: anything goes, and nobody wins. But it’s worth noting that, in a typically unpredictable Monday night, the Knicks beat Philadelphia, 101-92, with David Lee scoring 18 points, and another 17 from Zach Randolph. That makes them undefeated so far.
