The Tragic History Of The New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have practically seen it all. Of course, those two championships in the 1970s will always stand out among the franchise's biggest accomplishments, and players such as Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, and even Carmelo Anthony are fondly remembered for their contributions to the team's success. But if you come to think of it, those two titles are the only ones the Knicks have won since 1946. Compare that to the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, who have also been around since the 1940s but have won far more championships.

But it's not just a lack of trophies in the case that make the Knicks' team history seem so tragic. The last two decades have seen precious few playoff appearances, as well as various front-office controversies that oftentimes took the attention away from the actual basketball. Then you've got the wasted talents who could've been legendary if not for personal demons or nagging injuries. Saddening as the stories of these people and events may be, they are all part of the Knicks' ongoing story as one of the NBA's oldest teams.

The New York Knicks may have had it rough in the early '60s, but by the second half of the decade, they were a gradually improving franchise. Powered by players such as Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Walt Frazier and coached by Red Holzman, the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 1970 and another one in 1973. They also had a strong 1973-74 campaign in which they won 49 regular-season games and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. But it didn't take long for the early '70s Knicks juggernaut to fall apart.

As documented by wire reporter Bert Rosenthal in the "Basketball News 1974-75 Pro Yearbook" (via From Way Downtown), age and injuries decimated the Knicks' lineup in the aftermath of their 1972-73 title. DeBusschere retired in 1974, Reed's status was doubtful due to nagging knee injuries (he sat out all of 1974-75 and retired soon after), and Reed's backup, Jerry Lucas, had announced his retirement the year prior. With New York unable to replace their departed stars, the Knicks won just 40 games in 1974-75 and made the playoffs only twice between 1974 and 1980.

Perhaps nobody summed it up better than backup forward Phil Jackson, who shared his thoughts with Rosenthal after they lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1974 Eastern Conference Finals. "There was something missing. We were struggling; we didn't go out as a unit," he said. "That bothers me as much as losing."

As the Knicks' early '90s boom period coincided with the ascendance of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls as the NBA's newest dynasty, it wasn't going to be easy to add a third championship to their trophy case, even with Patrick Ewing as their franchise center and Pat Riley as head coach. Still, New York had a fighting chance in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals as they carried a 27-game home winning streak into Game 5 of their series against the Bulls.

The Knicks had a chance to edge the Bulls in the dying seconds of that game, but Charles Smith (pictured above) missed four straight tries at an easy three-footer, getting blocked thrice and nearly losing the ball to Jordan during one of his attempts. The Bulls won Game 5, 97-94, to take a 3-2 series lead, and the Knicks missed out on a chance to gain a huge boost of momentum and potentially prevent Chicago from bagging their first of two three-peats.

Speaking to the New York Post in 2020, Knicks legend Charles Oakley didn't blame Smith for the heartbreaking loss as much as he blamed Ewing. "Patrick, at the end of the game, he'd get double-teamed,” he said. "He'd shoot fadeaways on double-teams and that hurt us as a team." Oakley also accused Riley of failing to adjust his strategy in the second half and basically getting out-coached by the Bulls' Phil Jackson — yes, that same role-playing backup forward from the Knicks' 1970 and 1973 championship teams.

Frederic Weis was infamously posterized by Team USA's Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics. Some may argue that was the reason the Frenchman never played in the NBA after the New York Knicks drafted him No. 15 overall in 1999, right ahead of local hero Ron Artest (later Metta World Peace). But it goes far beyond that, as detailed by The New York Times in a 2015 feature on the 7-foot-2 center. 

In the article, Frederic's wife, Celia, recalled how her husband was allegedly informed by Knicks officials, "You're not really the guy we were supposed to draft." Frederic also claimed that Knicks' coach Jeff Van Gundy was cold toward him when he reported for summer league play. After failing to impress, Frederic opted to remain in France, but as he insisted, he never heard from the Knicks again despite his desire to play in the U.S. Then came his son Enzo's autism diagnosis soon after his birth in 2002, and a separation from his wife in 2004; these issues drove Frederic to drink in excess as his on-court play suffered.

Early in 2008, Frederic Weis attempted suicide, but the act motivated him to quit drinking, and he eventually reconciled with Celia. However, The New York Times noted that he was still dealing with depression and mood swings at the time of the feature.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

One of the greatest Detroit Pistons players of all time, Isiah Thomas had few peers at the point guard position in the 1980s. His play sparked the Pistons' "Bad Boys" lineup to two straight NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, and earned him a Basketball Hall of Fame nod in 2000. But as New York Knicks president of basketball operations from 2003 to 2008, he was subject to all sorts of criticism. In that five-year span (including two where he also served as head coach), the Knicks failed to post a winning record and won just 23 games in two of those campaigns.

Thomas made a number of much-maligned roster moves, many of which contributed to New York's reputation at the time as an overpaid, underperforming team that was especially bad on defense and disorganized on and off the court, as documented by New York Magazine. For example, the Knicks traded for a past-his-prime Steve Francis in February 2006 only for the former Houston Rockets All-Star to post average-at-best numbers. Just months prior, they acquired Eddy Curry in a deal that sent several draft picks to the Chicago Bulls, including two that became future stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah. Aside from his defensive woes, Curry also struggled with weight problems during his time in the Big Apple.

It didn't help that Thomas purportedly developed a reputation as a smug, arrogant individual behind the scenes. "There's a feeling of superiority about him," a former Knicks associate told NY Mag. "You wish once in a while that his tie was not up so tight."

Of all the preps-to-pros phenoms who joined the NBA in the decade or so after Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant debuted straight out of high school, Amar'e Stoudemire was one of the most talented and productive. The 6-foot-10-inch forward-center wasted little time making an impact after the Phoenix Suns drafted him ninth overall in 2002, and was a five-time All-Star at the time the New York Knicks acquired him ahead of the 2010-11 season. He didn't disappoint in his first season in New York, averaging 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as the Knicks improved from 29-53 the season prior to 42-40. However, that was the last season where Stoudemire played at a truly elite level.

Stoudemire was no stranger to knee injuries upon his arrival in New York, but he was able to come back strong during his time in Phoenix. However, the procedures on both of his knees that limited him to just 29 games in 2011-12 were a different story. Although he played 65 games the following campaign, he mostly came off the bench and barely averaged double figures in points, and he was ultimately waived by the Knicks in February 2015 after another half-season of underwhelming play. Long story short — he was already washed up in his early 30s, and his career, stellar as it was, could have been even better had he stayed healthy in his prime years.