#12. Carl Braun

Carl tried his damndest to make the top 11...

Best Season as a Knick: 1955-56, 17.3 PPG, 4.6 APG, 84% FT, 4.0 RPG

Sixth in Knicks history in win shares.  Fourth in games played.  Fifth in points.  Fourth in assists.  Sixth in free throws made.  Five-time All-Star.  Led the 1952-53 team, which made the Finals, in scoring.

It seems a little unfair that many of us have never heard of Carl Braun.  A relic of the old BAA, Braun played 12 seasons with the Knicks from 1947-61, serving as player-coach for his last two seasons.  The game in those days hardly compares to what we see today, but Braun’s longevity will see his name dotting various Knicks all-time lists long into the future.  Braun was a rangy 6’5” shooting guard, rather sizeable for the position during a time when teammate Harry Gallatin, a center at 6’6” and 210, could earn the nickname “Horse.”

The stats from back then don’t say much – they didn’t track steals or turnovers, and of course three-pointers were still two decades away – and YouTube doesn’t help get a feel for his style of play.  I guess the best way to get a sense of Braun is to do what we always do: watch the Knicks.  Every now and then a Knick will be approaching a mark Braun set long ago and Mike and Clyde will drop a few precious nuggets about Braun, the 50’s NBA and the way the game worked back then.  Oh right, we’re not having a season.  I keep forgetting.