Despite the loss of Ewing, the Knicks remained successful in the regular season, as they posted a 48–34 record under the direction of Houston and Sprewell.[54] In the first round of playoff contention, however, New York fell to the Toronto Raptors in five games, failing to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.[55] After a poor start to the season, the Knicks managed to get above .500 with a 10–9 record.[56]In spite of their recent success, Van Gundy unexpectedly resigned as head coach on December 8, 2001 explaining he had "lost focus" and would no longer be able to properly coach the team.[57] The team, which named longtime assistant Don Chaneyas their new head coach, ended the season with a 30–52 record, and for the first time since the 1986–87 season they did not qualify for the playoffs.[16][56]
In October 2002, the team elected to extend Chaney's contract for another year.[58]Rather than rebuilding, the Knicks opted to add veterans to the roster including Antonio McDyess who had been dealing with knee problems in the preceding years.[59][60]Furthermore, the Knicks were criticized by many analysts as multiple players on the roster were overpaid in light of their poor performances, causing salary cap problems that would persist until Donnie Walsh took over as team president.[59][61] McDyess injured his knee during the team's third preseason game and was subjected to further operations in April 2003 after a CT scan revealed the injured knee necessitated he undergo bone-graft surgery.[60] The Knicks managed only seven wins in their first twenty games, setting the tone for the rest of the season which they completed with a 37–45 record; it was their second consecutive season without a playoff appearance.[62]
After a 10–18 start to the 2003–04 season, the Knicks underwent a massive overhaul. Isiah Thomas was named the Knicks' president on December 22, 2003 upon the firing of Scott Layden.[63] Thomas continued to restructure the team, firing Chaney after an unproductive tenure and hiring Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens to coach the team.[64] Additionally, Thomas orchestrated multiple trades, including one that brought point guard Stephon Marbury to the team.[65] 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.[66] The series included a highly publicized spat between the Knicks'Tim Thomas and Nets' Kenyon Martin, in which Thomas all but challenged Martin to a fight and called him "Fugazy."[67] The following season, the Knicks struggled to a 17–22 record before Wilkens resigned as head coach.[68] Herb Williams, who had previously coached the team in a game against the Orlando Magic prior to the team hiring Wilkens, took over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and did not fare much better as the Knicks ended their season with a 33–49 record and out of playoff contention.[66][68][69]
Hoping to find a leader that could put the team back on track, New York hired Larry Brown to coach the team.[70] Brown, who idolized the team during his childhood, was well regarded for his coaching abilities and his arrival brought a sense of hope to the franchise.[70]Hoping to find the next Patrick Ewing, the Knicks drafted center Channing Frye and signed centers Jerome James and Eddy Curry, the former prior to the season and the latter during the season.[71] Curry, who reportedly had a worrying heart condition, refused to take a controversial DNA test, and fell out of favor with John Paxson, Chicago's general manager.[72] The Bulls signed-and-traded him to the Knicks along with Antonio Davis for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, the Knicks 2006 first round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Knicks in 2007, as well as 2007 and 2009 second-round picks.[72] Isiah Thomas did not lottery-protect the picks, and the Knicks forfeited the second pick in the 2006 draft, and the ninth in the 2007 draft. With a bloated payroll, the Knicks stumbled to the second worst record in the NBA that season, at 23–59.[73][74] The season concluded with the firing and $18.5 million buy-out of head coach Larry Brown after one season.[73][75]
With the departure of Brown, team president Isiah Thomas took over the head coaching responsibilities.[73] Thomas continued his practice of signing players to high priced contracts while the franchise struggled to capitalize on their talent on the court. As a testament to their struggles, on December 16, 2006, the Knicks and the Denver Nuggets broke into a brawl during their game inMadison Square Garden. With multiple players still serving a suspension as a result of the brawl, on December 20, 2006, David Leecreated one of the most memorable plays in recent Knicks history, and served as a bright spot as the team's struggles persisted, during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. With a tie game and 0.1 seconds left on the game clock in double overtime, Jamal Crawford inbounded from the sideline, near half-court. The ball sailed towards the basket, and with that 0.1 seconds still remaining on the game clock, Lee tipped the ball off of the backboard and into the hoop.[76] Because of the Trent Tucker Rule, a player is allowed solely to tip the ball to score when the ball is put back into play with three-tenths of a second or less remaining. Because of this rule, the rarity of Lee's play increases. The Knicks won, 111–109 in double overtime.[76] The Knicks improved by ten games in the 2006–2007 campaign in spite of injuries that ravaged the team at the end of the year; they ended with a 33–49 record, avoiding a 50-loss season by defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 94–93 on the last day of the season.
During the 2007 offseason, the organization became embroiled in further controversy away from the basketball court. Anucha Browne Sanders, a former Knicks executive, had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden.[77]Faced with a trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Thomas and Madison Square Garden liable for sexual harassment.[78] The jury also levied $11.6 million in punitive damages against Madison Square Garden, though this was later reduced to $11.5 million in a settlement between both parties.[78] The ordeal proved embarrassing for the franchise, revealing sordid details about Knicks management and the environment at Madison Square Garden.[78] The Knicks struggled as they opened their 2007 campaign with a 2–9 record leaving many Knicks fans, frustrated with the franchise's lack of progress under Thomas, called for the coach's firing—the chant "Fire Isiah" became a common occurrence during the Knicks' home games.[79][80] On November 29, 2007, the Knicks were handed one of their worst defeats in their history by the Boston Celtics, with a final score of 104–59.[81] This matched their third-largest margin of defeat.[81] New York went on to post an eighth consecutive losing season and tied the franchise mark for their worst record ever, at 23–59.[16]
No comments:
Post a Comment