Category Archives: Retro Knicks
The guys over at Knicks Vision took a look at the last 10 players selected at 17, and the Pacers are obviously loving the fact that Danny Granger was there in 2005 when Donnie Walsh was selecting. The Sixers are happy that TKB favorite Jrue Holiday (who Walsh loved) fell to them in 2009.
The Knicks took Jerrod Mustaf from Maryland in 1990 who had as strange a life off the court as he did on it.
The good news about Mustaf from the Knicks’ perspective was that he was a key piece in a deal that landed them Xavier McDaniel for a season.
In all honesty, it’s been a while since the Knicks were drafting in the late teens, which is to say it’s been forever since they’ve been a middle of the pack team.
They drafted Mark Jackson in 1988 with the 18th selection. They drafted John Wallace and Walter McCarty at 18 and 19 in 1996 and of course the Ed Tapscott special Frenchy was taken at 15 in 1999 over Ron Artest, AK7 and Jeff Foster.
They need to score with this pick and the front office knows it.
I’ve watched TKB favorite Taj Gibson dunk on D-Wade about 20 times already resulting in 20 minutes of head shaking. Great dunk. Still not…
Yes, that is homer-ish of me, but what separates Starks, to me, is that he took off and finshed the play at the rim in a half court set, without the benefit of full speed transition momentum.
Tagged John Starks dunk, Taj Gibson dunk on Dwyane Wade |We were talking about a few things this time last year.
- I had a feeling the Knicks weren’t going to just settle for Joe Johnson by throwing money at him…
- Raja Bell expected to be in Miami somehow…
- The Oakman Joined Twitter…and knew that Lebron wasn’t going to be coming to NY (wish I’d listened.)
- Mike James used TKB Radio for a plea to join the Knicks…
People say time flies. I say, look back and see all the things that happen in a year and you’ll feel differently.
Great piece over at The Good Men Project, who sat down with ex-Knick Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson. What’s interesting for 
me is that Sugar wants to progress up the coaching ranks and credits Larry Brown, in part, for his development.
Richardson eventually kicked his addiction and then went and played 13 seasons across Europe, finishing up on the older side of 40. Since his playing days ended, he’s has taken up coaching. He’s spent five successful years in the minor league ranks—CBA and PBL—as a head coach. He’s hit a few bumps, but he’s owned up to every mistake like he always has. And he’s still hoping to one day get another shot at the NBA—but this time, he’ll be in a suit. more.
Before the days of TKB I spent many a moment talking about the Knicks on one of the original (and best) online Knicks communities, 
knicksfanpage.com.
I have fond memories of the people I would interact with over there and I hope Irv, Isa, John Maloney, Shakes, Kat and the rest of the die hards who suffered through this decade with me are doing well over there. The site is looking for contributors, so if you have the chops and the passion head over there and let your voice be heard in comment form.
In 2007 the Sonics were on the verge of moving and they had Ray Allen. He would have been a great fit here. Keep in mind this was pre-Donnie Walsh and the idea was that the Knicks were NEVER getting under the salary cap, at least I didn’t think so. I thought a package of Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson, two of Seattle’s own, would be a good place to start in exchange for Ray Allen’s contract and catch and shoot ability.
We understand that Allen has had his share of injuries and that he isn’t an upgrade on defense, but it would allow Q-Rich to be the first guard off the bench and move Lee into the starting lineup. The Knicks have a first round pick, where according to nbadraft.net, scouts say North Carolina’s energetic forward Tyler Hansbrough (should he declare) or Texas A&M’s point guard Acie Law could be available and add more young depth next season. Isiah would also do well to fill the roster will young, hungry, well-coached specialists toiling in the NBDL in ex-North Carolina ballhawk Jackie Manuel and former UConn sharpshooter Denham Brown.
If nothing else, it alleviates the clutter that is the Knicks backcourt, and if Sund tries to get sneaky and ask for Lee instead of Frye, obviously the deal is dead. But this is the move that fits a Knick need, and will make the team’s two most invested players, Marbury and Curry, even that much better. Will the Sonics bite? It makes sense if they do.
But it starts with a phone call.
The Knicks would draft Wilson Chander and, of course, would trade for Zach Randolph that coming draft, while Allen was shipped to Boston forming one-third of Boston’s Big Three.
The rest, as they say, is history.
If you have time and want to have your voice heard, send articles over to NYKFP. You’ll get honest and open feedback of your work.
Great stuff here from Jaime O’Grady of LoHud Knicks Blog.
“It’s special for me because I played there. It’s special to every single player because it’s the only arena left that has a memory. All of the other ones have been blown up,” Rivers said. “This is the one that Frazier and Ali fought in. … This is the arena where all of that stuff has happened, and players know that.
“I have kids, and one of their dreams is to play in Madison Square Garden. They’re not from New York. It’s the only building.
My friends and I talk about this a lot. There were two Knicks teams, specifically, that could and maybe should have beat Jordan’s Bulls- the 93 group and the 97 edition. Charles Smith had a problem and then of course the PJ Brown flip are the two most memorable reasons neither could. Doc blew out his knee in 94, which led to the Knicks to trade for D Harp. No one is a bigger Harper fan than me, but I think the Knicks were a better team with Rivers at QB.
A great read and trip down memory lane from our friend Brandon Tierney who recalls, in similar fashion, the 1990 series.
Just like the 1989-90 Boston Celtics were vulnerable.
Quite frankly, the parallels are amazing.
Like the Bird-led model, this crop of cagers from Beantown are flat-out old.
Spare me the “experienced” stuff and the “DNA” pleasantries, not interested.
Old is old.
Larry Bird was 34, Kevin McHale was 32, Robert Parish was 36 and Dennis Johnson was 35.
Well guess what?
40 may be the new “20″ in fashion magazines, but not in the NBA. In the NBA, speed and athleticism and explosion is rewarded. Anything other than that is exploited.
Are the Knicks going to win this series? I don’t think so. Nor are they expected to. That’s a great place to be. I agree the Celtics are vulnerable and who knows, maybe the Knicks can have a repeat some 20 years later.
Man, 20 years, it doesn’t seem that long….
Really, such things are fun but it would probably be better to bring back a tradition that dates back to the early 1970s: winning a championship.
But since so many of you have asked about this, I’ll share a small bit of news on this front that was initially passed to me last night that I was able to later confirm: the Knicks will be doing a little something different with their playoff look. While black socks/black sneakers are a given (and no longer a special thing because everyone’s doing it), at home games the Knicks will wear orange socks.
Yes, orange.
We all know how much I love orange. And when I say love, I mean absolutely hate.
I’m expecting not to like them, but I will reserve judgment at this point. The black sneaker/socks thing and the shaved heads should stay in the past. I never understood the bald heads when the captain of the team still had hair anyway. My high school team didn’t wash our socks until we lost a game…
Team chemistry is built not manufactured.
And yes, winning is always in fashion…
I remember when the Knicks traded
strickland-to-spurs-for-cheeks.html”> Rod Strickland for Mo Cheeks in February of 1990 and Knicks fans went nuts. Most couldn’t believe how they could trade a young up-and-coming PG for a 33-year-old veteran impressive resume or not.
It turns out that Cheeks was part of knocking down a Celtics dynasty that was virtually on its last legs, leading the Knicks to a 5 game playoff series victory including a memorable Game 5 victory on the Garden parquet. I’d me remiss if I didn’t mention Charles Oakley’s 20/20 game that day as well. If memory serves he had 22 points and 25 rebounds, or something in that range.
Fast forward some 20 years later and the Knicks are led by another veteran point guard Chauncey Billups who possesses a similar veteran acumen that Cheeks did. Both won championships and lived, for years, in the second season. Both nearing the end of their careers who want one last shot at the big time.
As a Knicks fan you can talk about the series with the Celtics in many ways. You can point to different keys and you’d be right. The bench needs to step up and keep the game close. The stars have to do what stars do to give the Knicks the chance to win.
But, to me, it comes down to Billups and his ability to defend. The obvious thought that anyone would think of would be will we see a lot of Toney Douglas on Rajon Rondo, which would leave Billups the assignment on Ray Allen. I’d leave Billups on Rondo. I mean, can Chauncey’s legs allow him the ability to get through screens and chase Allen around all night? Would you even want him to? I’d leave that for Landry Fields, or Douglas (ahem, derrick brown) and tell Billups to stay 5 feet off Rondo and keep him in front of him. Let him shoot jumpers all day long.
But that’s just me.
The playoffs are about matchups and performance, and the Knicks will needs a huge one from a player whose been there before. That’s why the biggest key to me in this series is Chauncey Billups vs. the Celtics’ back court.
← Older postsNewer posts →
