mafra
Legend
Good article in the NY Post today:
Deep dive into Knicks? history: How they escaped this misery before
By Mike Vaccaro May 21, 2016 |
Here is the bad news: You are a Knicks fan, and you look at your team and feel hopeless, and you look around the league and you feel helpless. You want to be excited about Jeff Hornacek, but all you can think of in the immediate is this:
We need a shooting guard. I sure wish he still could play.
Here is the good news: The Knicks have been here before. They have been trapped in awful quicksand before, with little hope of emerging ? and yet they emerged. And though, yes, the NBA of 1967 and the NBA of 1990 may have been different animals than the NBA of 2016 ? simpler yet somehow still more complex, fewer teams and more options ? the yesterday isn?t quite as detached from today as you might think.
Let?s take a deeper look at what?s happened before. And what could ? emphasis, could ? happen again. If.
1967
The man in charge: Eddie Donovan, with a lot to prove. Donovan had failed as a coach, had been kicked upstairs, and the Knicks still hadn?t moved the needle. Knicks fans, a small but vocal pack in ?67, were growing restless.
Coaching situation: Dick McGuire was popular with Donovan and with the front office (sound familiar) but when a change came it was Red Holzman ? a Knicks scout, previously a losing coach (79-114 in four years with the Hawks) ? who got the gig. Twitter wasn?t yet invented. Had it been, it wouldn?t have been impressed.
Key incumbent: Willis Reed arrived in 1964, and he played his first years out of position, at power forward, but it was clear he was a player you could build around, a natural leader who needed help and good coaching but was a legit foundation piece.
Key subtraction: Walt Bellamy, perennial All-Star but the man who was in Reed?s way in the pivot. He was good and he was popular. But he had to go.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Clyde Frazier would be drafted in ?67, and Bill Bradley would come from Oxford that year) and up-front help (Dave DeBusschere came via trade, and a useful reserve, named Phil Jackson, in the same draft as Clyde).
Around the league: Hopeless, with a capital H. The Celtics still were in dynasty mode. The 76ers had won a record 68 games in ?67. The Lakers were building a perennial force out West. And the ABA stood at the ready with checkbooks, poised to raid rosters at any moment.
Tipping point: Say it with me: DeBusschere-for-Bellamy-and-Howard-Komives. That trade in December ?68 meant the Knicks instantly could compete with anyone. And soon enough, they would.
How bad had it been? From 1959-67 the average record was 27-45. No playoff berths, at a time when there were nine teams and six made the playoffs.
How good did it get? Titles in 1970 and ?73, conference finals in ?72 and ?74, maybe the most beloved sports team in New York City history.
1990
The man in charge: Dave Checketts, with a lot to prove, a hire from the league office after putting in his time in Salt Lake City. A fresh face. No sure thing. Precious little experience building a title contender. Viewed as an faceless suit at the start.
Coaching situation: That changed when he stunned the city and lured Pat Riley, which may well be the most high-profile coaching hire in any sport in the city?s history. After being abandoned by Rick Pitino and run into the ground by Stu Jackson and John MacLeod, it sent a resounding statement to the rest of the league.
Key incumbent: Patrick Ewing, already a franchise cornerstone but an embittered one. Riley needed to recruit Ewing to stay with every bit the fervor John Thompson used to get him to Georgetown a decade earlier. Pat sold Pat on visions of the Canyon of Heroes. Both Pats were all-in.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Doc Rivers first, then Derek Harper), up-front help (Xavier McDaniel first, then Anthony Mason, then Charles Smith). And an immediate shift in a losing culture that had grown cancerous.
Key subtraction: Mark Jackson had been a Rookie of the Year, fallen out of favor, came back into favor, but needed to be swapped for a big. Rolando Blackmon arrived with much fanfare and mostly toiled in his warm-ups by the end.
Around the league: HOPELESS, in all caps. The Celtics were in decline but still dominant. The Pistons were about to win back-to-back titles. Michael Jordan and the Bulls were waiting in the weeds.
Tipping point: The Knicks ousted the Pistons from the playoffs in 1992, then took the Bulls to seven high-octane, insanely intense games in the conference semifinals that served as a preview of what was to come the next few years.
How bad had it been? From 1975-90, the average record was 38-44; no more than one playoff series victory in any year, five total; missed playoff eight times.
How good did it get? Finals appearances in 1994 and ?99. At least one series victory in every year from 1992-2001.
2016
The man in charge: Phil Jackson, with 11 rings earned as a coach (and two others as a player) that he likes to show off, but with a lot to prove as a team-builder.
Coaching situation: Knicks fans still are trying to figure out how to expend the energy they were planning on using raging about Kurt Rambis. Jeff Hornacek has a fraction of Riley?s 1990 cred, but much more than what Red Holzman had in 1967.
Key incumbent: Kristaps Porzingis is clearly this generation?s Reed, this generation?s Ewing, the centerpiece around which everything will be built going forward. Like his ancestral predecessors, he needs a coaching push. And he badly needs a supporting cast.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Eric Bledsoe played for Hornacek in Phoenix; Mike Conley is the best available; and Rondo would be, if nothing else, an endless source of amusement), and up-front help (David Lee? Can you still dream about Kevin Durant?), especially if ?
Key subtraction: ? especially if Carmelo Anthony is traded. And it still remains a mystery how Jackson will improve the roster if he holds on to Melo and doesn?t turn him into a gaggle of players and draft choices, as he remains the team?s most valuable asset.
Around the league: HOPELESS, all caps, bold face. The Celtics are emerging and have all those draft picks coming. The Cavaliers are dominant and likely are to stay that way. The Raptors and Heat are better than the Knicks, and poised to get even better.
Tipping point: Can the Knicks acquire real assets for Melo? And if not, can Jackson pull the kind of stunner in free agency that Riley essentially did in ?91, convincing Ewing to stay? We still are for those 11 rings to yield something a little more exciting than Jeff Hornacek and Arron Afflalo. Not saying it can?t happen. Just hasn?t, yet.
How bad had it been? From 2001-16 the average record has been 33-48 (with one lockout year in there). One playoff series win. Missed playoffs 11 times in 15 years.
How good can it get? That?s the fun part, right?
Deep dive into Knicks? history: How they escaped this misery before
By Mike Vaccaro May 21, 2016 |
Here is the bad news: You are a Knicks fan, and you look at your team and feel hopeless, and you look around the league and you feel helpless. You want to be excited about Jeff Hornacek, but all you can think of in the immediate is this:
We need a shooting guard. I sure wish he still could play.
Here is the good news: The Knicks have been here before. They have been trapped in awful quicksand before, with little hope of emerging ? and yet they emerged. And though, yes, the NBA of 1967 and the NBA of 1990 may have been different animals than the NBA of 2016 ? simpler yet somehow still more complex, fewer teams and more options ? the yesterday isn?t quite as detached from today as you might think.
Let?s take a deeper look at what?s happened before. And what could ? emphasis, could ? happen again. If.
1967
The man in charge: Eddie Donovan, with a lot to prove. Donovan had failed as a coach, had been kicked upstairs, and the Knicks still hadn?t moved the needle. Knicks fans, a small but vocal pack in ?67, were growing restless.
Coaching situation: Dick McGuire was popular with Donovan and with the front office (sound familiar) but when a change came it was Red Holzman ? a Knicks scout, previously a losing coach (79-114 in four years with the Hawks) ? who got the gig. Twitter wasn?t yet invented. Had it been, it wouldn?t have been impressed.
Key incumbent: Willis Reed arrived in 1964, and he played his first years out of position, at power forward, but it was clear he was a player you could build around, a natural leader who needed help and good coaching but was a legit foundation piece.
Key subtraction: Walt Bellamy, perennial All-Star but the man who was in Reed?s way in the pivot. He was good and he was popular. But he had to go.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Clyde Frazier would be drafted in ?67, and Bill Bradley would come from Oxford that year) and up-front help (Dave DeBusschere came via trade, and a useful reserve, named Phil Jackson, in the same draft as Clyde).
Around the league: Hopeless, with a capital H. The Celtics still were in dynasty mode. The 76ers had won a record 68 games in ?67. The Lakers were building a perennial force out West. And the ABA stood at the ready with checkbooks, poised to raid rosters at any moment.
Tipping point: Say it with me: DeBusschere-for-Bellamy-and-Howard-Komives. That trade in December ?68 meant the Knicks instantly could compete with anyone. And soon enough, they would.
How bad had it been? From 1959-67 the average record was 27-45. No playoff berths, at a time when there were nine teams and six made the playoffs.
How good did it get? Titles in 1970 and ?73, conference finals in ?72 and ?74, maybe the most beloved sports team in New York City history.
1990
The man in charge: Dave Checketts, with a lot to prove, a hire from the league office after putting in his time in Salt Lake City. A fresh face. No sure thing. Precious little experience building a title contender. Viewed as an faceless suit at the start.
Coaching situation: That changed when he stunned the city and lured Pat Riley, which may well be the most high-profile coaching hire in any sport in the city?s history. After being abandoned by Rick Pitino and run into the ground by Stu Jackson and John MacLeod, it sent a resounding statement to the rest of the league.
Key incumbent: Patrick Ewing, already a franchise cornerstone but an embittered one. Riley needed to recruit Ewing to stay with every bit the fervor John Thompson used to get him to Georgetown a decade earlier. Pat sold Pat on visions of the Canyon of Heroes. Both Pats were all-in.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Doc Rivers first, then Derek Harper), up-front help (Xavier McDaniel first, then Anthony Mason, then Charles Smith). And an immediate shift in a losing culture that had grown cancerous.
Key subtraction: Mark Jackson had been a Rookie of the Year, fallen out of favor, came back into favor, but needed to be swapped for a big. Rolando Blackmon arrived with much fanfare and mostly toiled in his warm-ups by the end.
Around the league: HOPELESS, in all caps. The Celtics were in decline but still dominant. The Pistons were about to win back-to-back titles. Michael Jordan and the Bulls were waiting in the weeds.
Tipping point: The Knicks ousted the Pistons from the playoffs in 1992, then took the Bulls to seven high-octane, insanely intense games in the conference semifinals that served as a preview of what was to come the next few years.
How bad had it been? From 1975-90, the average record was 38-44; no more than one playoff series victory in any year, five total; missed playoff eight times.
How good did it get? Finals appearances in 1994 and ?99. At least one series victory in every year from 1992-2001.
2016
The man in charge: Phil Jackson, with 11 rings earned as a coach (and two others as a player) that he likes to show off, but with a lot to prove as a team-builder.
Coaching situation: Knicks fans still are trying to figure out how to expend the energy they were planning on using raging about Kurt Rambis. Jeff Hornacek has a fraction of Riley?s 1990 cred, but much more than what Red Holzman had in 1967.
Key incumbent: Kristaps Porzingis is clearly this generation?s Reed, this generation?s Ewing, the centerpiece around which everything will be built going forward. Like his ancestral predecessors, he needs a coaching push. And he badly needs a supporting cast.
Key needs: Well, everything. But point guard (Eric Bledsoe played for Hornacek in Phoenix; Mike Conley is the best available; and Rondo would be, if nothing else, an endless source of amusement), and up-front help (David Lee? Can you still dream about Kevin Durant?), especially if ?
Key subtraction: ? especially if Carmelo Anthony is traded. And it still remains a mystery how Jackson will improve the roster if he holds on to Melo and doesn?t turn him into a gaggle of players and draft choices, as he remains the team?s most valuable asset.
Around the league: HOPELESS, all caps, bold face. The Celtics are emerging and have all those draft picks coming. The Cavaliers are dominant and likely are to stay that way. The Raptors and Heat are better than the Knicks, and poised to get even better.
Tipping point: Can the Knicks acquire real assets for Melo? And if not, can Jackson pull the kind of stunner in free agency that Riley essentially did in ?91, convincing Ewing to stay? We still are for those 11 rings to yield something a little more exciting than Jeff Hornacek and Arron Afflalo. Not saying it can?t happen. Just hasn?t, yet.
How bad had it been? From 2001-16 the average record has been 33-48 (with one lockout year in there). One playoff series win. Missed playoffs 11 times in 15 years.
How good can it get? That?s the fun part, right?