Knicks All-Time Team: Reverence of the 70s, Glorification of the 90s, and Erasure of the 50s

It’s been a long time since I’ve devoted devoted an article to the ongoing series on all-time teams for each NBA franchise, but I’m going to try to pepper them in here and there moving forward. We’re jumping back in with a big one though, as the Knicks are one of the oldest and most popular franchises in history. They boast several legends and cult heroes, making for some difficult decisions, including one big reversal of opinion on a player from an all-time team I discussed earlier for another franchise…

• As a reminder, the one wrinkle for these franchise all-time teams is that players are permitted to appear for only one franchise. I strive to make these teams reflective of general fan and media perception, though it’s unavoidable that my own subjective opinion seeps in too.

Knicks Locks

• Patrick Ewing
• Walt Frazier
• Willis Reed
• Bernard King

No surprises here. These players are all pillars of the Knick legacy. They’re fan favorites, all-time great NBA players, and hold revered status in New York.

Knicks Locks Despite Other Franchise Claims

• Carmelo Anthony — This is a big 180 for me. In my earlier post on the Nuggets all-time team, I opted to designate Melo as a Nugget instead of a Knick and wrote, “Melo’s career peak occurred in New York when he finished third in MVP voting in 2013 and he also achieved more All-Star selections in New York (6) than Denver (4). However, there were two seasons in Denver in which he made an All-NBA Team at the end of the season despite not making an All-Star game at mid-season. That, as well as the fact that he made more All-NBA Teams in Denver (4) than New York (2), eliminates any concern about him having made more All-Star Games as a Knick. Furthermore, Melo played over 100 more games in Denver than New York, had more team success in Denver than New York, and leaves more of a statistical footprint in Denver’s all-time franchise records than New York’s. Altogether, it was an easy choice to designate Melo as a Nugget.” All of that logic still rings true for me. However, I’ve been constantly second-guessing that decision ever since. Simply put, even if the games played and accolades favor Melo’s legacy as a Nugget, the broader NBA fandom seems to consider Melo’s spot in the general NBA zeitgeist as a Knick, and it’s tough to go against that tide. As such, I’m reversing my earlier decision and now designating Melo as a Knick.¹
• Dave DeBusschere — DeBusschere has just about as many games played with the Pistons as he has with the Knicks. Additionally, he was a hometown kid from the Detroit area, remained extremely popular in Detroit, and also served as player-coach of the team. He has a great case to be considered for the all-time Pistons team. However, his team success as a Knick, adoration in New York, and the bulk of his career accolades being earned as a Knick, make it an easy decision to place him on this all-time team.
• Earl Monroe — Monroe’s peak as a player occurred with the Baltimore Bullets. He played four full seasons in Baltimore and achieved superstardom there, as well as a First Team All-NBA selection and significant team success. And yet, he’s still an unquestioned New York Knick thanks to his reverence in the city, his contributions to their 1973 title team, and his continued individual success over a longer time period as a Knick.

Notable Knicks Designated to Other Teams

This is a long list! Several players earned All-Star appearances or achieved significant team success with the Knicks but were ultimately designated for consideration for the all-time teams of other franchises, including Walt Bellamy, Jamal Crawford, Tom Gola, David Lee, Kristaps Porzingis, Bob McAdoo, Mike Riordan, Amare Stoudemire, and Max Zaslofsky. There’s also current Knick Karl-Anthony Towns, who could play his way into consideration as a Knick, but currently still resides squarely with the Timberwolves. However, the following players require a bit more explanation:

• Marcus Camby — Camby had a terrific run with the Knicks and is fondly remembered by Knicks fans, but he played over 100 more games with the Nuggets and earned the bulk of his career accolades in Denver.
• Bill Cartwright — Cartwright played the majority of his career in New York and earned his lone All-Star recognition as a Knick. However, he also spent six seasons in Chicago and anchored the middle for the Bulls’ first three-peat. His trade from New York to Chicago is considered by many as one of the final catalysts of the Bulls’ early 90s success, resulting in his recollection as a Bull being roughly equal to that of the Knicks.
• Tyson Chandler — Chandler’s journeyman status made his team designation a difficult one. He earned his only All-Star selection and Defensive Player of the Year award in New York, but I decided to assign him to the Mavericks due to his critical role on their championship team.
• Mark Jackson — This was a tough one given his hometown hero status, his lone All-Star selection coming in New York, and the majority of his career occurring as a Knick. However, when playoff games are considered, Jackson appeared nearly as often for the Pacers as the Knicks. And given his status as one of the critical components of the success of the 90s Pacers, including in their rivalry against the Knicks, I decided to designate him to the Pacers.
• Larry Johnson — I gave the Hornets priority for Larry Johnson given his massive popularity while in Charlotte. His individual accolades came with the Hornets too.
• Jerry Lucas — Despite winning his lone championship as a key contributor with the Knicks, it was an easy decision to designate Lucas to the Kings.

Players For Consideration

Oh boy, there are a ton! The Knicks have such a storied history and so many notable players that my initial long list included 29 players. Several players were cut fairly quickly, though I still wanted to give them a mention, including Vince Boryla, Julius Randle, Cazzie Russell, Connie Simmons, Kurt Thomas, Trent Tucker, Charlie Ward, Gerald Wilkins, and Ray Williams. And here were the players that required a lot of thought:

• Dick Barnett — 604 GP, 2 Championships, 1 All-Star selection, top ten in games, minutes, and points, number retired by team
• Bill Bradley — 743 GP, 2 Championships, 1 All-Star selection, top ten in games, minutes, points, and assists, number retired by team
• Carl Braun — 740 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 2 All-NBA selections, 5 All-Star selections, top ten in games, minutes, points, assists, and win shares
• Jalen Brunson — 210 GP, 1 Conference Finals appearance, 2 All-NBA selections, 3 All-Star selections (as of this writing)
• Nat Clifton — 476 GP, 3 Finals appearances, 1 All-Star selection, top ten in rebounds
• Harry Gallatin — 610 GP, 3 Finals appearances, 2 All-NBA selections, 7 All-Star selections, top ten in games, rebounds, and win shares
• Richie Guerin — 518 GP, 3 All-NBA selections, 6 All-Star selections, top ten in minutes, points, assists, and win shares
• Allan Houston — 602 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 2 All-Star selections, top ten in minutes, points, and win shares
• Phil Jackson — 732 GP, 2 Championships, top ten in games played
• Stephon Marbury — 287 GP
• Anthony Mason² — 395 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 1 Sixth Man of the Year award, top ten in rebounds
• Dick McGuire — 530 GP, 3 Finals appearances, 1 All-NBA selections, 5 All-Star selections, top ten in assists
• Willie Naulls³ — 430 GP, 4 All-Star selections, top ten in rebounds
• Charles Oakley — 727 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 1 All-Star selection, 2 All-Defensive Team selections, top ten in games, minutes, rebounds, steals, and win shares
• Michael Ray Richardson⁴ — 315 GP, 3 All-Star selections, 2 All-Defensive Team selections, 1 assists title, 1 steals title, top ten in assists and steals
• Kenny Sears — 424 GP, 2 All-Star selections, top ten in win shares
• Latrell Sprewell — 351 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 1 All-Star selection
• John Starks — 602 GP, 1 Finals appearance, 1 All-Star selection, 1 Sixth Man of the Year award, 1 All-Defensive Team selection, top ten in assists and steals

Right off the bat, Bill Bradley is a no-brainer. He was close to lock status, but it’s tough to lump him in with the quartet of locks above given that he simply wasn’t on the same level as them as a player. Regardless, his status as a Knick icon gets him on the team.

After selecting Bradley, I then removed Clifton, Jackson, Marbury, Mason, Naulls, Richardson, Sears, and Sprewell from consideration. All were strong contributors to Knick history, but each lacked a combination of team success, longevity, or peak and/or sustained individual production.

That leaves four spots for nine players: Barnett, Braun, Brunson, Gallatin, Guerin, Houston, McGuire, Oakley, and Starks. The trio of Braun, Gallatin, and McGuire is toughest to consider. All three were well-decorated in terms of accolades, they played important roles in a sustained period of team success for the Knicks (albeit without a championship), and they appear all over the Knick record books. Additionally, Braun and McGuire were both hometown heroes having grown up and played college ball in New York. On paper, they all have obvious cases for inclusion. Personally, I’d pick at least one player to the all-time Knicks team to ensure that their era was represented, with Braun or McGuire being the most likely candidate. However, I feel that I’m the minority there. The modern Knick fandom doesn’t seem to recognize this group much, and these players rarely appear in lists of the greatest Knicks ever, even though they represent arguably the second-most successful era in team history. Since they don’t loom large in the modern Knick zeitgeist, and since this list aims to reflect broad interests and not my own, I felt that they had to be removed despite their strong cases. Along those lines, I also had to remove Richie Guerin from consideration. Guerin didn’t play on the successful 50s teams, but he’s tied with Carmelo Anthony for the fourth-most All-Star selections as a Knick and trails only Frazier, Reed, and Ewing in All-NBA selections as a Knick. And yet, he also fails to linger in the memory of most Knicks fans. Unfortunately, that results in him also being left out.

With those four gone, we now have five players competing for four spots: Barnett, Brunson, Houston, Oakley, and Starks. Of this group, Oakley was my first selection to grab a spot. Oakley is still beloved by Knicks fans, he’s played the sixth most games of any Knick ever, he achieved moderate individual success as a Knick, and he played a critical role not only in the on-court success of one of the most celebrated eras in Knicks history, but in the identity and aura of that team. I also went with Allan Houston for similar reasons, though not to the extremes of Oakley. Houston remains popular, he achieved moderate team success, he earned several individual accolades, and remains in the top ten of points, appearances, and win shares. I came into this exercise expecting Houston to be one of the last cuts on the roster, but quickly found myself feeling that he was comfortably on the team. I was also surprised to find how easily I settled on Jalen Brunson for a spot. I still feel uneasy picking someone with such a short window of time as a Knick (as of this writing anyway) when there are so many long-standing servants to the team with double or even triple the amount of games in a Knick uniform. However, in that short time frame, Brunson has already achieved legend status, has already accrued individual accolades comparable to other all-time Knicks greats, and is already overseeing one of the most successful runs in Knicks history. Additionally, he’s already played more games than one of the Knicks locks — Bernard King. He didn’t reach the peak of King, but he’s still achieved one of the highest individual peaks in franchise history. Personally, I feel that the old school 1950s guys should be similarly considered, but I expect that a vast majority of modern fans would prefer Brunson, and it’s tough to disagree!

That left one spot between Barnett and Starks. These two represent a microcosm of the above debate about how older players are remembered. Barnett was a key presence on both of the Knicks storied title teams, but he doesn’t seem to receive the same degree of adulation as the likes of Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere, Monroe, or even Bradley, despite having similar individual accolades as Bradley. Conversely, Starks was extremely popular and remains so. They played nearly identical numbers of games for the Knicks too. However, one thing separates Barnett in my eyes — The fact that his number is retired by the team. This puts him in rarified air, particularly since none of the aforementioned Braun, Gallatin, or Guerin have their numbers retired, and since it seems unlikely that Starks’ jersey will ever be retired. Dick McGuire’s number is retired though, but he doesn’t have the same imprint on the Knicks record books or championship banners as Barnett. As such, twenty years from now, I expect that era’s youthful fans to look up in the rafters and see Barnett’s number and see his name in the top ten of several statistical categories, and consider him more positively than Starks.

• PG — Walt Frazier SG — Earl Monroe SF — Dave DeBusschere PF — Willis Reed C — Patrick Ewing B — Carmelo Anthony B — Dick Barnett B — Bill Bradley B — Jalen Brunson B — Allan Houston B — Earl Monroe B — Charles Oakley

Overall, the lack of someone from the pre-1970s era still feels yucky, but this feels like a good representation of the Knicks.

Potential changes on the Horizon

With Brunson already on the team, there’s not much on the immediate horizon. However, if this team wins a championship or continues racking up Conference Finals appearances, then Karl-Anthony Towns will have to switch from the Wolves to the Knicks and he, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and maybe even Mitchell Robinson would have to enter this discussion. I don’t think any of them would have a strong case for inclusion without a championship, but continued success and a few more seasons’ worth of games played will put them squarely in the mix. Towns also has the added benefit of individual accolades, though he doesn’t have the same degree of adoration as the other modern Knicks. As such, if I had to bet, I don’t think we’ll see any changes any time soon.

25 Years Ago

Carmelo Anthony and Jalen Brunson obviously would not have been on an all-time Knicks squad at the turn of the century. I also believe that Allan Houston was too early into his Knicks career to have been selected. As such, there are three open spots on an all-time Knicks team in the year 2000. I’m certain that John Starks would assume one of those spots given that he was still fresh on the minds of Knicks fans at the time. And I believe that the other two spots would go to players from their successful 1950s squads. My hunch is that McGuire would get one due to his status as a hometown hero and his retired number and that Carl Braun would get the other due to him also being a New York native and his name being all over the Knicks record books.

Footnotes

¹ If anyone is interested, Kiki Vandeweghe is the player who will be taking Melo’s vacated spot on the Nuggets all-time team.

² Here’s what I wrote about Mason in the Hornets post: “Mason spent a brief spell with the Hornets but made the time count and likely hit his individual peak in the process. After his arrival ahead of the 96–97 season, he spurred a 13-win turnaround, collected significant MVP buzz, earned a Third Team All-NBA spot and an All-Defensive Second Team spot, and averaged 16/11/5 per game. Mason had previously displayed playmaking abilities in his career, but this was the first time where they were fully unleashed. He followed it up with two more strong seasons, but this still resulted in just 236 total games for the club. He played over 150 more games for the Knicks than the Hornets and he was one of the most prominent players of the legendary mid-90s Knicks squads. Although he didn’t hit the same individual heights in New York as he did in Charlotte, he had way more team success and was arguably much more popular while playing for the Knicks. I really wanted to shoehorn Mason into this Hornets squad given that his odds of making the all-time Knicks team are so low, but it felt wrong to do so.”

³ Naulls won three championships with the Celtics at the end of his career, but the bulk of his career took place as a Knick. He also earned all four of his All-Star selections as a Knick.

⁴ Prior to this article, I’ve used the spelling of “Micheal” for Richardson’s first name since that was how it was reflected in most sources, including in Charley Rosen’s biography of Richardson, Sugar. However, just before his passing, Richardson clarified the spelling of his name as Michael in his own autobiography in 2024. Moving forward, I’ll revert to the spelling as Michael.