I've been known to embark on a few stupid, pointless projects in my time, but this might be the stupidest and most pointless.
For some reason, I've always been fascinated by uniform numbers. In my athletic days, I always would put a lot of thought into the numbers I wore when playing sports and always would be furious when, in Little League for example, they would randomly assign numbers. When given the choice (and when it was available), I always wore #10. It was my favorite number and I saw it as an homage to the man whom, at the time, I considered to be the greatest Knick ever: Walt Frazier. Then I was playing around with basketball-reference.com's uniform number pages recently and decided to embark on project that combines three of my greatest loves: history, the Knicks and completely useless research. I have decided to figure out the greatest Knick to wear every uniform number.
Now, when embarking on a stupid, pointless research project, it is important to have rules. My first rule is this: it's my list and I'll do what I want. I will be using a combination of statistics, sentiment, nostalgia and personal bias to determine the Knicks' Greatest #26, 45, 18, etc. I'll also be naming a runner up and a "dishonorable mention" for every number. And the dishonorable mention has to be more than just a fringe player who signed a 10-day contract with the team and was promptly cut. It has to be someone whose tenure was somehow painful and/or embarrassing, i.e. his acquisition carried with it woefully unfulfilled expectations or the player came at the cost of a depressingly lopsided trade or the player was so bad the fans wanted to rip him apart like a ravening zombie horde.
Now the crucial part: I will ONLY consider a player's accomplishments (a) while he was on the Knicks and (b) while he wore that specific number. When Earl Monroe was first acquired by the Knicks in the 1971-72 season, he wore #33, but clearly he is not the Knicks' Greatest #33. For his last eight years as a Knick, Monroe wore #15 and that's the number that rightly bears his name in the Garden's rafters today. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan is undoubtedly the greatest NBA player ever to put on a Washington Wizards/Bullets/Baltimore Bullets uniform (or any other NBA uniform for that matter), but no one would call him the greatest Wizard/Bullet of all time, because his greatest accomplishments were with the Bulls. Likewise, Walt Bellamy scored over 20,000 career points ... but more than 15,000 of those points came with other teams. Did he have a good enough Knicks career to be called their Greatest #8?
That's what I want to find out. And maybe have some fun with Knicks history as I go. Some numbers will be very competitive; some will not; some will be downright embarrassing. Let's give it a shot. Today we're covering #s 0-5 and we'll see how often I'm inspired to add to this.
NUMBER 0/00
We're combining these two for a couple of reasons: one is that they're basically the same, anyway; the other is that only one player has ever worn either of them for the Knicks. That man is Larry Hughes, and as you can see, we're off to a flying start. I don't want to pick on Hughes too much. The guy's had a 13-year NBA career – a career he tried to renew earlier this year with the Orlando Magic after being out of the league in 2010-11 – and can boast some pretty solid accomplishments: in 2004-05, he averaged over 20 points per game and made the NBA's All-Defensive First Team as a member of the Washington Wizards. ...But he's also the inspiration for the funniest website URL of all-time: heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com.
By the time the Knicks acquired him on February 19, 2009, for Anthony Roberson, Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Jerome James's neck fat, he was completely washed up. Hughes became the first member of the franchise to don #0 and almost a year to the day later, the Knicks offloaded him as part of a three-team salary dump that brought Tracy McGrady to New York. In his year with the Knicks, Hughes played 56 games, started 28 of them, and averaged 10.3 ppg while shooting a woeful .377 from the field.
But by default, Larry Hughes (2009-2010) is the Knicks' Greatest #0.
Runner-up: n/a
Dishonorable mention: Hughes also qualifies here.
Most recent: Hughes (obviously)
Others: none
NUMBER 1
I've always thought that it takes a lot of balls to wear #1. Whether you intend to or not, you're making a statement. Nine Knicks have made that statement and all of them are players who are notable in some way. They include a four-time All-Star and two-time member of the All-NBA First Team (Anfernee Hardaway), a three-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year (Steve Francis), a four-time All-Star and four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team (Maurice Cheeks) and a future two-time NCAA Championship-winning coach (Billy Donovan).
However, those players all have something in common: they sucked as Knicks. Donovan was never much of a pro ball player; Penny's and Mo's best years were behind them by the time they got to New York and Stevie Franchise was ready for the glue factory. Really, this came down to two players and one key question of philosophy: do I take five years of mediocrity from Chris Childs or one great year – with perhaps more to come – from Amar'e Stoudemire?
I took Amar'e Stoudemire.
He gave the Knicks respectability and he carried them to just their second playoff appearance (and first winning record) in a decade while averaging 25 and 8 and shooting over 50% from the field. And although this has been a down year for him so far, he still has time to cement his place.
Amar'e Stoudemire (2010-present) is the Knicks' Greatest #1.
Runner-up: Chris Childs (1996-2001)
Dishonorable mention: Steve Francis (2006-2007). The Knicks traded impending cap space and a useful young player (Trevor Ariza) for Francis, who was not only washed up by then but had the same game as a player they already had (Stephon Marbury). It did not go well.
Most recent: Stoudemire
Others: Ken "the Animal" Bannister (1984-1986); Billy Donovan (1987-1988); Maurice Cheeks (1990-1991); Anfernee Hardaway (2004-2006); Chris Duhon (2008-2010)
NUMBER 2
Twenty years ago, the only Knick to ever wear #2 was Rory Sparrow. Since then, eleven players have worn it, including a different guy in each of the last five seasons. The list includes Knick legends like Jamison Brewer, Maurice Taylor and Fred Jones. Weirdly, only one of the eleven since Sparrow has worn it for at least two full seasons and that gentleman is my pick: Larry Johnson.
Johnson's best years were with the Charlotte Hornets and by the time the Knicks got him, back injuries had robbed him of much of his explosiveness. But he was still a crucial cog on some very good Knicks teams in the late 1990s and gave the franchise one of its most memorable moments on the way to the 1999 NBA Finals. He gave the Knicks 12.3 ppg over five tough, gritty years. My dad and I spent many an evening making the LJ arm symbol at our TV.
Larry Johnson (1996-2001) is the Knicks' Greatest #2.
Runner-up: Rory Sparrow (1983-1987)
Dishonorable mention: Maurice Taylor (2005-2006). He was just bad.
Most recent: Landry Fields (2011-present)
Others: Greg Anthony (1991-1992); Monty Williams (1994-1995); Keith Van Horn (2003-2004); Jamison Brewer (2004-2005); Fred Jones (2007-2008); Tim Thomas (2008-2009); Nate Robinson (2009-2010); Raymond Felton (2010-2011)
NUMBER 3
#3 always has been a popular number with the Knicks franchise, but weirdly, for more than forty years it was a number exclusively worn by forgettable players (like Al Butler and Brendan McCann) and guys who had no more than a cup of coffee with the team (like Al Cluggish and Phil Rollins). That changed on October 1, 1990, when the team signed an unknown CBA veteran with just 36 games of NBA experience and who had played for four different colleges, only one of them at the Division 1 level.
Nobody could have predicted that John Starks would go on to be one of the best Knicks of his era and a crucial piece for a team that would come within one game of winning the NBA Championship. Starks's blue-collar defense, toughness and fearlessness became emblematic of the Knicks of the early and mid-1990s and both his play and his underdog story resonated with New Yorkers. Today, when you think of Starks you probably think of two things: his iconic dunk over the Bulls in the 1993 Playoffs (the good) and his horror show in Game 7 of the 1994 Finals (the bad). And that's both somehow appropriate and a little unfair. It's appropriate because Starks could be as maddening as he was brilliant, but his contributions were much too significant to be so easily distilled.
Some people would argue that I should put Stephon Marbury here. Marbury put up the gaudier numbers, especially in the scoring column, but Starks meant more to the franchise. Marbury – fairly or unfairly – was the symbol of a rudderless, dysfunctional team: long on stats and rep, short on wins. Starks was one of the most fiercely competitive players on one of the most fiercely competitive Knicks teams ever. No one played tougher defense on Michael Jordan or was more willing (sometimes to his and the team's detriment) to take the crucial last shot. No matter how many fall-away Js Jordan drained over him or how many threes he clanked off the rim, Starks kept coming back for more. Sometimes it drove you crazy, but he was never boring and he would run through a brick wall to win. That's why you loved him.
And it's why John Starks (1990-1998) is the Knicks' Greatest #3.
Runner-up: Stephon Marbury (2004-2009)
Dishonorable mention: Also Marbury, weirdly
Most recent: Shawne Williams (2010-2011)
Others: Bob Cluggish (1946-1947); Irv Rothenberg (1948-1949); Al McGuire (1951-1952); Bob Knight (1954-1955); Brendan McCann (1957-1960); Phil Rollins (1960-1961); Al Butler (1961-1964); Dave Deutsch (1966-1967); Ken Green (1986); Rick Carlisle (1987-1988); Dennis Scott (1999); Tracy McGrady (2010)
NUMBER 4
Younger Knicks fans will think of Nate Robinson. Knicks fans in their 30s and 40s might think of Johnny Newman or Darrell Walker. But you'd have to be more than 60 years old to really remember Carl Braun, the first great scorer in Knicks history.
If you look at Braun's numbers today, they look pretty pedestrian at best. He never averaged more than 16.5 ppg and his .383 career FG% seems laughable for someone who was considered a great shooter. But yes, I'm going to use the "it was a different era" defense. When Braun shot .323 from the field in the 1947-48 season, it was the third best mark in the league. He finished in the top 10 in the league in total scoring four times and made the top 10 list in total assists six times, making five straight All-Star Games from 1953 to 1957. He spent 12 seasons with the Knicks, helping them to three straight NBA Finals in 1951, 1952 and 1953. His last two years with the club were also as its coach.
Braun left the Knicks in 1961 and finally won a ring, catching on as a little-used reserve with the NBA Champion Celtics in 1961-62 before retiring.
His numbers may not seem to hold up, but Carl Braun (1947-1961) is the Knicks' Greatest #4.
Runner-up: Fine, Nate Robinson (2005-2009)
Dishonorable mention: Howard Eisley (2001-2004). Cap-killer, lousy player acquired at the height of Scott Layden's reign of terror. I've spent more time yelling about Howard Eisley than any other Knick except for Eddy Curry.
Most recent: Chauncey Billups (2011)
Others: Nat Militzok (1946-47… Stuyvesant High School, baby!); Frido Frey (1947); Art Heyman (1963-1965); Freddie Crawford (1966-1968); Darrell Walker (1983-1986); Johnny Newman (1987-1990); Carlton McKinney (1991); Anthony Bonner (1993-1995); Scott Brooks (1996-1997); Ben Davis (1998-1999); DeMarco Johnson (1999); DerMarr Johnson (2004); J.R. Giddens (2010); Anthony Randolph (2010-2011)
NUMBER 5
To give you a sense of how difficult this number was for me to figure out, just know that I spent about 10 minutes wondering if Bill Walker should be my selection. I ultimately decided no, but just know that a lot of players have worn #5 for the Knicks. A lot of bad, bad players.
After a flirtation with Max Zaslofsky, I finally went with Dick Van Arsdale. Van Arsdale had his best years with the Phoenix Suns, but his first three seasons were spent in New York and they were okay. As a rookie, he made the NBA's All-Rookie First team. In his time with the club he averaged 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting a pretty-good-for-a-perimeter-player-at-the-time 44% before moving to Phoenix, where he would make three All-Star teams.
Although I had to concede the category to Van Arsdale, in a way I find Zaslofsky more interesting. Largely forgotten to time, Zaslofsky was one of the BAA/NBA's first scoring stars, finishing in the top 10 in four straight years from 1947-1950. But he spent each of those years with the Chicago Stags, not the Knicks, who got him in 1950 in the dispersal draft after the Stags folded. His three years in New York were solid enough – he even made the All-Star Game in 1952 – but complicating matters, he only wore #5 for his first year with the team, 1950-51. It wasn't a bad year for Zaslofsky, but it wasn't magnificent either. The 6'2" swingman (yes, 6'2" swingman) averaged 12.7 ppg, 3.5 rpb and 2.1 apg while shooting .354 from the field (remember, these numbers were actually pretty good at the time).
Now you're asking yourself, "Is he really making the case for one lousy year of Max Zaslofsky?" Well, hey, I did pick Van Arsdale. And would you prefer Sherwin Raiken? Lee Knorek? How about Doug Kistler? Or Cezary Trybanski? Maybe (my personal favorite) Frank Mangiapane, whose delightful last name means "Eat bread" in Italian?
So yeah, unless you want to talk yourself into a few years of Billy Walker or one ghastly season of Jalen Rose or one subpar Zaslofsky year in early '50s, Dick Van Arsdale (1965-68) is the Knicks' Greatest #5.
Runner-up: Max Zaslofsky (1951-1952)
Dishonorable mention: Jalen Rose (2006). That just didn't go well.
Most recent: Bill Walker (2010-present)
Others: Frank Mangiapane (1946); Ralph Kaplowitz (1946-1947); Lee Knorek (1947); Paul Noel (1947-1950); Sherwin Raiken (1952-1953); Bert Cook (1954-1955); Bob Santini (1955-1956); Guy Sparrow (1957-1959); Jack George (1959-1960); Doug Kistler (1961); Gene Conley (1962-1964); Don May (1968-1970); Mike Price (1970-1971); Jim McMillan (1976-1978); Cezary Trybanski (2004); Tim Thomas (2004-2005); Randolph Morris (2007-2008); Anthony Roberson (2008-2009); Joe Crawford (2009)
