The '87 Draft Cost NYC Dearly -preventing a Miller-Pippen-Oakley-Ewing fearsome-4some

mafra

Legend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRFKhpMKX0E

http://knickerblogger.net/unsung-knick-history-quentin-richardson-for-half-a-season-of-mirsad-turkcan/


The NBA Draft is less than a week away. For Knick fans, 6/22/1987 is a moment in time that forever altered our disposition.

The Knicks won the draft lottery in ’85; that brought Patrick Ewing to MSG.
Two years later… the fate of Ewing (& MJ, the NBA, and the cities of NYC &CHI) were sealed.

Imagine the ‘90s… if NYK featured this starting 5:

Rod Strickland
Reggie Miller
Scottie Pippen
Charles Oakley
Patrick Ewing

It almost happened… if not for miscues, chance, & incompetence.


The New York Knicks owned the 5th & 8th picks in the 1987 NBA draft.The Knicks sent the 5th pick to SEA for Gerald Henderson. Then, they traded the 8th pick in the draft to CHI for Jawann Oldham.

(In an ironic twist, the Bulls then sent the 8thpick, Olden Polynice, to SEA for the 5th pick, Scottie Pippen ).

A skinny kid from UCLA went 11th (Reggie Miller).

The Knicks ended up drafting Mark Jacksonin this draft.


Both Henderson & Oldman were not on the team a year later.

Also, b/c CHI ended up with Horace Grant in this draft, the next year they dealt PF Oakley to NYK for C Bill Cartwright, and we swapped picks with them as well (we would take Rod Strickland).

Only the Knicks could flip Pippen & Miller for Oldham& Henderson. The res is, as they sat HIStory
 

tiger0330

Legend
Can't cry over spilled milk, those 90's teams were pretty good. We might not have drafted Miller and Scotty anyway and we did get some capable players in Starks and Mason for nothing.

What pisses me off is the last decade with trading away picks, signing players to awful contracts and trading away some pretty good players that if we kept the Knicks might be pretty good.
 
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RunningJumper

Super Moderator
The Knicks had Ewing and Bernard King on the same team, but traded King because of that very bad injury. He went onto become an All-Star again. Would have been interesting if they did keep him.
 

knicksin60

Starter
Was Isiah Thomas behind those transactions? Cause only an idiot would trade 2 top level draft picks for other teams' used goods.
 

mafra

Legend
Was Isiah Thomas behind those transactions? Cause only an idiot would trade 2 top level draft picks for other teams' used goods.

EVERYODY KNOWS THE NAME: I-Thomas... But aside from the indolent Dolan, no man didmoredamage to NYK fans than Gordon Stirling. This is the man who doomed Ewing to be a bridesmaid to MJ; He stole the '90s. While Ewing was developing and we still had hi picks... He turned 2 lottery picks into 2 bench players who weren't even on the team a year later. WOW. THAT is had to do. Just rely hurts it cost us Scottie Pippen & Reggie Miller or Kevin Johnson. Hurts even more that we helped arm our enemy. NYK might have won more titles in the 90s than Yankees if not for this knucklehead.


Stirling is beginning to feel the heat for trading two first-round draft choices. In return, the Knicks received the bench-bound Oldham and point guard Gerald Henderson. Stirling tried to make a move last week to trade power forward Pat Cummings, but was vetoed from top management. Stirling is constantly on the phone to other teams searching out trade possibilities. He reportedly approached the Bulls about Tucker and point guard Rory Sparrow.



The thinking in New York is that Evans doesn`t want a man desperate to save his job making trades. Evans appears to want someone in the general manager`s job who is more concerned about the Knicks` future.


The franchise can build a decent team around center Patrick Ewing, forward Kenny Walker and guard Gerald Wilkins. The Knicks would love to recoup some of those lost No. 1 picks, and may decide 7-foot-1-inch forward-center Bill Cartwright is worth surrendering to build a brighter future.


Stirling might not be long for New York, and barring a dramatic reversal, Hill won`t last beyond this season. Season ticket sales are down 2,000 to less than 7,000.

-----

A time of flux for those mid-to-late '80s NYKs... GMs in charge of player personnel decisions:

Dave Debush left beg. of 1986. Gordon Stirling took over for 16 months (made both of those lll-fated trades)... Then came AL Bianchi (July, '87 to 1991), when Dave Checketts arrived


Bulls Trade Oldham To Knicks For `87 Draft Pick, Cut Smrek
October 31, 1986


Bulls` chief of operations Jerry Krause and coach Doug Collins worked late into Wednesday night in an attempt to trade malcontent center Jawann Oldham.
And their efforts paid off Thursday, when they announced that they had sent the 7-foot-1-inch center to the New York Knicks for the 1987 No. 1 draft pick acquired from Denver by the Knicks for Darrell Walker and future considerations.

-------------


[h=1]KNICKS, SEEKING OFFENSE, GET HENDERSON[/h][h=6]By ROY S. JOHNSON[/h][h=6]Published: November 13, 1986[/h] The Knicks tried to plug a hole in their sputtering offense yesterday by acquiring Gerald Henderson from the Seattle SuperSonics for future draft choices.


Henderson, a 30-year-old guard in his eighth season in the league, is a former member of the Boston Celtics, whom he helped guide to two championships as their playmaker.


The transaction was a relatively complicated one, so much so that it could be several years before the Knicks know exactly what it cost them.


The Knicks gave the Sonics their second-round draft choice in 1990. They also gave the Sonics the option of exchanging one of their two first-round picks in the 1987 draft - either Seattle's own or one it previously obtained from Milwaukee - for New York's opening-round selection. But if the Knicks qualify for the lottery and draw either the first, second or third position, that option would be voided. Instead, Seattle would be able to swap first-round choices with the Knicks in 1989, should it choose to do so.


New York's 1988 first-round draft choice will not be affected. Bernie Bickerstaff, the coach of the Sonics, preferred to have the option in 1989, when he expects the talent pool to be richer.


The worst consequence for the Knicks would be if they failed to make the playoffs this season and drew the fourth position in the draft lottery. The Sonics would probably swap the Bucks' first-round pick, which would likely be among the final six choices in the opening round of 23, for the Knicks' No. 4 position.


The Bucks are expected to finish among the top six teams in the league. Teams pick in the reverse order from which they finish.


The future cost, even at its most expensive, is something the Knicks had to risk to improve the present. Their 111-105 triumph over an inexperienced Phoenix Suns team on Tuesday was only their second victory in eight games this season, a pace management cannot endure after two consecutive disappointing seasons.


In six games with Seattle this season, Henderson averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 assists. He shot 50 percent from the field, 25 for 50, higher than any of the Knick guards.


To make room for him, the Knicks waived McKinley Singleton, a rookie guard. Similar to Sparrow
In Henderson, the Knicks got a guard very much in the mold of their current playmaker, Rory Sparrow, who is two years younger. They are the same height, 6 feet 2 inches, possess nearly identical career field-goal pecentages (.486 for Henderson, .483 for Sparrow) and both have survived waivers and tenures in semipro leagues before establishing themselves in the National Basketball Association.


What Henderson adds to the team is quickness and an instinct for the fast break that was honed during his years with the Celtics. The Knicks said he will play backup to Sparrow, but he also has the skills to become a starter.


Reached at his home in Seattle yesterday, Henderson said he would ''have no problem'' with the pressure that comes from being traded to a Knick team that is desperate for outside shooting and a penetrating guard.


''When I came to Seattle, I was replacing Gus Williams and they expected me to bring the championship there myself,'' he said. ''As far as the Knicks are concerned, I just want to come in and contribute, to stabilize their backcourt.''


Scotty Stirling, the Knicks' general manager, said, ''He brings us experience, quality and depth at the most critical position.''


Sterling also said Henderson was good about ''getting the ball into the pivot, plus he drives and has a good jumper.''


Perhaps most critically, Henderson wanted to play for the Knicks so much that he agreed to accept less than his $350,000 salary for this season in order to fit into the Knicks' salary-cap constraints. He will fill the salary slot vacated by Darrell Walker, who was traded to Denver and who would have earned $295,000 with the Knicks this season.
That means Henderson will earn no more than $295,000 this season. In exchange for his consent, Henderson received a one-year contract extension through the 1988-89 season. Over the course of the three-year contract, the pay cut will be restored.


After two seasons in the Western Conference, Henderson was eager to return to the East, where, he said, the game is played with a higher level of intensity.


''Out here, it's more entertainment,'' he said. ''It's like going to a concert, whereas in the East there's more competitiveness. It's more pure basketball where every little thing counts.''


Henderson also said he wasn't concerned with Hubie Brown's sometimes abrasive coaching style. ''Hubie doesn't scare me,'' he said. ''I also played for Bill Fitch for three or four years and there are a lot of things I like about the two.

They demand so much of their players. I feel confident with that.''
 

mafra

Legend
This boner was so bad; the house was cleared and in came Rick Pitino, followed eventually by Pat "the rat" Riley.
 

mafra

Legend
What irks me too... this draft is viewed as a success b/c NYK obtained Marc Jackson. BIG DEAL! He beat us with INDY, and was traded for Charles Smith (blocked shot 4 times, need I say more).
 

tiger0330

Legend
Mafra loved the history lesson. I wonder what would have happened if Riley managed to stay with the Knicks and Checketts got ousted instead of Riles and Riles got promoted to President and GM. No question in my mind he would have been the best GM in club history and maybe we have a couple of championships.
 

mafra

Legend
Mafra loved the history lesson. I wonder what would have happened if Riley managed to stay with the Knicks and Checketts got ousted instead of Riles and Riles got promoted to President and GM. No question in my mind he would have been the best GM in club history and maybe we have a couple of championships.

Amen! If only...
 
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