In a recent appearance on the ‘Run It Back’ show, Knicks legend Walt Frazier had a simple yet iconic response on whether the 2024-25 roster is the best in Knicks history. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t agree with the notion.
Michelle Beadle: “I heard some say this is the best starting five that the Knicks have had.”
Walt Frazier: “Bullsh*t!”
Walt Frazier is a Knicks legend who led the franchise to two championships in 1970 and 1973. the 13-year veteran retired in 1980 as a 7x All-Star, 2x champion, and 6x All-NBa player. Like most fans, he was shocked to see the Knicks trade Julius Randle this summer in a blockbuster deal for Karl-Anthony Towns.
“Actually, I liked Randle,” Frazier said. “I like Randle. I thought he would come back with a vengeance. He had a lot to prove. So I was—like KAT said—I was flabbergasted by the trade. But since he’s there, we’ve improved. A guy who can open up the court. It should help Brunson.”
After their trade for Towns and Mikal Bridges in the offseason, there’s no question that the Knicks got better from a season ago when they won 50 games to secure the 2nd seed in the East.
After five years with the Knicks, Randle was supposed to help usher in a new era for the franchise but a loss in the second round made the front office lose faith in their roster.
Instead, they placed their trust in Karl-Anthony Towns, who is a career 22 point-per-game scorer. After an impressive campaign with the Timberwolves, Towns joins a situation in New York that’s practically tailor-made for his success and expectations have been set high.
As for the conversation about the best Knicks squad ever, it’s pretty clear that this year’s team is not the answer. As someone who bore witness to 70s-era NBA basketball, Frazier knows how much the Knicks prospered back then and it’s really the last time that the franchise ever achieved such great heights.
Besides Walt Fraizer, the Knicks had Phil Jackson and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe to create one of the strongest defensive teams in Knicks history (they allowed just 92.8 points per game).
In modern times, the Knicks have nothing to compare to this current unit but their team from the 2012-13 season (with Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudamire, and J.R. Smith) is worthy of a mention. They won 54 games as one of the best shooting teams in the league but couldn’t get it done in the playoffs.
The 2024-25 Knicks are pretty stacked, all things considered, and after their run to the second round in May, there is reason to believe that they can make a push for the Finals with this new and improved roster.
But until we see the Knicks actually go out and win the title, there are only two groups that have a claim for being the best in franchise history: the championships squads from over 40 years ago.
The truth is, the Knicks still have a lot to prove before anyone is ready to call them the title favorites. To earn the respect of Walt Frazier and other NBA legends, this unit will have to get it done when the stakes are the highest. Only then can you call yourself the best.
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