2009-10 New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have been in trouble for some time. Since Mike D’Antoni took over for Isiah Thomas in the 2007-08 season, the team has not made the playoffs. In fact, season ticket holders know they haven’t made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season. After beginning this season with a 1-9 record, the worst 10-game start in franchise history, GM Donnie Walsh decided to up the stakes for the LeBron James lottery next season and he began moving players, sending Darko Milicic to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Brian Cardinal and cash.
The franchise then involved itself in a three team trade that sent Jordan Hill and Jarred Jeffries to the Houston Rockets, Houston received Kevin Martin from Sacramento and the Kings received Houston’s Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and Larry Hughes. The Knicks received oft injured Tracey McGrady and his $22 million salary. The moves saved the Knicks almost $10 million and will allow the team to go after not only LeBron but another top tier free agent as well.
The team is currently situated in 13th place in the NBA Eastern Conference, 23-games out of first place.
Previous Seasons
The New York Knicks were one of the original teams in the Basketball Association of America formed in 1946. The team name comes from a style of pants which were rolled up to the knee, commonly known as knickers. The Knicks had the distinction of playing in the league’s first game, reaching the playoffs with 33 wins before being eliminated by the Philadelphia Warriors in the playoffs.
The Knicks were a competitive team for most years and ended up joining the NBA for the 1949-50 season. In 1951 the Knick reached the MNA Finals for the first time. After shocking the Boston Celtics, the Knicks went on to eliminate the Syracuse Nationals to reach the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, a hard fought seven game series ended with the Rochester Royals winning in seven games.
In 1970 the Knicks captured their first NBA Championship. Finishing the regular season at 60-22 behind Willis Reed’s MVP season, the Knicks captured their first division championship in over 15 years. The first round of the playoffs was a major struggle as the Baltimore Bullets battled the Knicks for seven games before finally being eliminated. In the Eastern Finals, the Knicks took only five games to knock off Lew Alcindor and the Milwaukee Bucks. A back and forth battle with the Los Angeles Lakers was waiting in the NBA Finals. The Knicks captured Game 1. The Lakers came back to win Game 2 by a narrow margin. After splitting the next two games, the Knicks gained the lead with a victory in Game 5 but watched in horror as Willis Reed went down in Game 6 and the Lakers tied the series once again. Reed struggled back for the 7th and decisive game though, and the Knicks their first NBA Championship with a 113-99 win.
