Knicks Solution

The Knick Solution

June 28, 2006... The greatest spectuale which is called the NBA Draft held in the famous Madison Square Garden. For some teams, it was a chance to rebuild for their future. Players like Brandon Roy, Adam Collison, and Andrea Bargnani were the considered most coveted players on the draft board. For some teams, it helped create bench depth in hopes of finding diamonds in the rough (For examples, Manu Ginobili and Josh Howard). Then you could be the New York Knicks.

They were once a proud franchise producing classic memories "The Miami Rivalry", The 1999 playoffs (Only 8th seed ever to make it to the NBA Finals), and my personal favorite (being a Bulls fan), Michael Jordan's virtuoso games. After the Patrick Ewing era, the Knicks began suffering through a steep decline. After starting the 2001-2002 season 10-9, the team was stunned by the sudden resignation of Van Gundy. The team, which hired Don Chaney as their new head coach, ended up with a 30-52 record, and for the first time since the 1986-87 season, they did not qualify for the playoffs.

The Knicks attempted to improve during the 2001-02 season by initiating a number of trades and free agent signings. Among these included acquiring guards Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley, both of which carried expensive, long-term contracts. Such trades and free agent signings heavily contributed to the Knicks sky-rocketing salary-cap, which would burden them in the years to come. The Knicks improved slightly in 2002-03 but still delivered a disappointing season, posting a 37-45 record and failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.

After a 15-24 start to the 2003-04 season, the Knicks underwent a massive overhaul. Isiah Thomas was named the Knicks' president on after the firing of Scott Layden, and eventually replaced Don Chaney with Lenny Wilkens behind the bench. At the same time, Thomas orchestrated several trades, including one that brought star point guard Stephon Marbury to the team. The team qualified for the playoffs that year with a 39-43 record, but were swept by the New Jersey Nets in the first round.

The Knicks fared worse in the 2004-05 season, as they ended up with a 33-49 record. Wilkens resigned during the season, and Herb Williams served as interim coach for the rest of the season. During the off-season, the team signed Larry