When the New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000, no one would have predicted that the next 20+ seasons would yield just one playoff series victory. The Knicks have been an absolute disaster for the most part after Patrick Ewing’s departure, and it is actually somewhat incredible that they have been so bad for so long.
One of the big reasons why they have struggled so much is that they have been terrible at drafting for the most part. We have seen first-round pick after first-round pick come and go over the years in what has been a total mess. Their drafting has been so bad, that RJ Barrett, who finally got extended recently, is the first Knicks first-round pick to secure an extension with the team since Charlie Ward back in 1999.
Barrett also becomes the first Knicks first round pick to secure an extension with the franchise since Charlie Ward — who was drafted almost 30 years ago. https://t.co/WJ2Ch5tABF
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 30, 2022
Ward, who was the 26th pick of the 1994 NBA Draft, was a solid role player on the Knicks and even started for them in the 1999 NBA Finals after signing that extension. He would stick around on the team till 2004, when he was traded to the Suns.
It is an indictment on their scouting as well as player development departments that no other Knicks rookie was able to secure an extension with the team in all this time. Kristaps Porzingis was one who perhaps could have gotten it, but he was so fed up with the organization that he demanded a trade before he became eligible for it.
A significant portion of the blame for all their struggles during this time can be attributed to the mismanagement under owner James Dolan. He has become one of the more hated owners around, and there was hope among fans of a better future when a report emerged that he might sell the team. Dolan refuted those rumors himself just a few days later, so the joy was very much short-lived.
Perhaps the product on the court will be good enough next season as a source of joy for Knicks fans, and they should fare better than last season at the very least. They have signed Jalen Brunson in free agency, and Barrett should also continue to improve, which gives them a couple of pieces to build with. They also remain interested in acquiring Donovan Mitchell, who they passed up on during the 2017 NBA Draft, for Frank Ntilikina, who is another first-round pick that is no longer with the team. One can only imagine how different the last two decades would have looked for the Knicks if they just knew how to draft better.
