In coming up with these rankings, I took into account time spent in a Knicks uniform, overall production and how well the team performed. For instance a legend such as Patrick Ewing doesn’t make the cut, being that the only season of the 2000′s that Ewing spent in a Knicks uniform was 1999-2000. The same goes for Larry Johnson, as while he had a great run in New York, he only averaged 10.3 points combined in 2000 and 2001.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the Top 10 New York Knicks players of the 2000′s.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) reacts on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Didn’t Make the Cut: Ewing, Johnson, Charlie Ward, Tim Thomas, Nate Robinson, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler

10. Tyson Chandler (2012): Chandler’s only spent one season in the Big Apple, but it was a big one, averaging 11.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Despite only wearing a Knicks uniform during this past season, he makes the list for winning Defensive Player of the Year and for the overall impact he had on a team that made the playoffs.

9. Stephon Marbury (2004-08): Here’s a guy whose name I was hoping to never have to type again as I was not a big Marbury fan, but he did average 17.6 points and 6.9 assists in a Knicks uniform, including a big 2005 season in which he averaged 21.7 points and 8.1 assists. Yet he was never able to prove he was a winning-type of point guard at anytime in his NBA career.

8. Jamal Crawford (2005-09): Crawford started for the Knicks initially and then was reduced to a bench role under Larry Brown, but still put up solid numbers, averaging 18.0 points and 4.4 assists in a Knicks uniform. The Knicks never made the playoff though during Crawford’s run in New York.

7. Marcus Camby (2000-02): Camby went onto greater things during his NBA career, but had a solid stop in New York after he was acquired in 1999. During his three years in the Big Apple this century, Camby averaged 10.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

6. Kurt Thomas (200-05): The Knicks made the playoffs three times since 2000 with Thomas on the roster and he did an admirable job for the Knicks, averaging 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He brought toughness and energy to the Knicks and had a very nice run.

5. David Lee (2006-10): Lee started slowly after being drafted in the second round in the 2005 NBA draft, but turned himself into a very nice player. He averaged 12.6 points and 9.5 rebounds while in New York and made the All-Star team in 2010 when he had his best year as a pro, averaging 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds.

4. Latrell Sprewell (2000-03): Sprewell spent five years in a Knicks uniform, four of them coming after 2000. Despite the controversy that surrounded his career, Sprewell was very good for the Knicks, averaging 14.6 points per game in New York. In addition the Knicks qualified for the postseason three times since 2000 with Sprewell in uniform.

3. Amar’e Stoudemire (2011-12): Stoudemire has spent only two years in the Big Apple and is the main reason the Knicks started to turn things around. He’s averaged 21.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in a Knicks uniform and may be higher on the list if it wasn’t for the injuries and a rough 2012 season.

2. Allan Houston (2000-05): Looking at six of Houston’s nine years in New York, he averaged 18.7 points per game during that time span and it was a shame that his career came to a premature end. New York made the playoffs three times in that span and although they never won a series, Houston remains one of the more popular Knicks in recent memory.

1. Carmelo Anthony (2011-12): Melo is the best pure talent the Knicks have had in uniform since 2000 and while he’s come under criticism, Anthony has averaged 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in a Knicks uniform. He’s helped the Knicks make the playoffs both seasons since being acquired from the Denver Nuggets and although things haven’t exactly gone as smoothly as Knicks fans may have hoped for, you can’t doubt that Melo is the most talented player to wear a Knicks uniform in a very long time.

Best Season as a Knick- 2002-03- 22.5 PPG, .919 FT Percentage, .396 3 Point %

Allan Houston truly is one of the greatest Knicks of all time. Many might say, Allan Houston, really? I tell them to check the record books because if they do, they will see Houston’s name.

Houston is the Knicks 4th all-time leading scorer. He is 3rd in free throw %, 2nd in 3 pointers made, and 4th in field goals made.

I think the biggest reason why Houston was never fully appreciated was because of his contract. He was an all-star quality player who was paid like a franchise player, which he was not. His first contract signed as a free agent in 1996 was for a lot of money, but the one that drove Knick fans nuts was the extension signed in 2001 for over $20 million a year. His career ended after the 2005 season, and the Knicks were forced to pay him while he was not even playing.

Additionally, Houston struggled in his first two years as a Knick because Jeff Van Gundy favored John Starks, and gave Starks a lot of the crunch time minutes over Houston. Van Gundy also trusted Starks defensively, and Houston was not known for his defensive abilities. To Houston’s credit, he worked hard to improve his defense during his Knicks career. His play as a Knick also continued to improve each year with the team as he became more acclimated to playing in New York, but he was never worth $20 million. It is not his fault thought that he was paid that much money. We can all blame James Dolan for that. Any of us would have taken the money and ran with it.

His greatest moment as a Knick has to be his game winner in game 5 knocking out the number 1 seeded Heat in the first round of the 1999 NBA playoffs. I still remember when he floated that ball high in the air, and got the perfect roll off the rim to beat the hated Heat. It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the franchise and will be remembered forever. He then went on to help lead the 8th seeded Knicks to the NBA Finals.

Houston also had many other accomplishments as a Knick. He was probably the greatest shooter in Knicks history. He scored 50 points twice as a Knick. He developed his offensive game, with an incredible mid-range game which was deadly. Overall, Houston was a terrific offensive player, and in my opinion top 5 in Knicks history.

By Rob Bonanni

Timofey Mozgov (R.) starts at center tomorrow; how will he deal with the pressure? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

On Twitter Chris Sheridan posted that Timofey Mozgov has won the starting center spot.  Sounds like reporter conjecture (which I’m starting to realize Sheridan does a bunch) rather than actual news.  Coach Mike D’Antoni might be leaning that way, but no way has he 100% decided that because he’s concerned about foul trouble.  At the very least, he’ll wait and see how Moz does in his first start on Wednesday against the Celtics (and potentially the-still-extremely-capable-at-getting-opposing-centers-into-foul-trouble Shaq).

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More useless Twitter news?  The NY Post’s Mark Berman twatted:

Eddy Curry is doing shooting drills on his own here at #Knicks practice. Looking OK. Probably back sooner than later.

Reportedly a few words got cut off from the message and it was supposed to read: Probably back [to being a disappointment] sooner than later.

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Imagine if these guys all were young at the same time and played together. Wait, but since Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing both played center, you can only pick one of 'em. Ay, there's the rub. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Right now ESPN.com has a great little thing where for each team in the league you can vote on who their greatest player was for each position.  For the Knicks, do you go Patrick Ewing or Willis Reed at center?  You gotta go Walt Frazier at point, and sorry, Bill Bradley, but Bernard King was unstoppable at small forward.  Shooting guard I’m inclined to go with Earl The Pearl, but I’ve never seen Richie Guerin play, so maybe he has a case?  And if the team is playing with today’s three point line and we’re thinking who’d mesh best together, maybe instead the two should be Allan Houston to stretch out the other team’s defense and keep ‘em honest.  At power forward, for some reason they list David Lee, even though he pretty much just played center.  I’m not picking him, of course, just pointing out that it’s odd that he’s in this category.  Probably you should go with Dave DeDebusschere, although I grew up worshiping at the altar of Charles Oakley, and particularly if you chose Ewing over Reed, then you need an enforcer.

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"Can you shoot like this, Gallinari?" (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Normally, these are the fun type of things we get to argue about without ever being able to know the answer.  Personally I prefer things that way.  I kinda hate how nowadays when you have  debate with someone they can just go, “Let’s check it out on the internet” and whip out your phone.  For me, it’s less about the truth and more the fun of the discussion.  That said, now, thanks to an Allan Houston interview with SLAM Magazine, we have the answer as to who would win a shooting contest between him and Danilo Gallinari.

How does Houston know?  ’Cuz they’ve apparently had several shoot-outs.  For those who don’t know, Houston currently is an assistant to Donnie Walsh and being groomed to move up the team’s ladder on the organizational side.  As such, he of course has his personal take on the upcoming free agency bonanza:

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In a lottery lacking surprise,
DeBusschere drafted “The Franchise”.
But the team was a shame
Losing game after game
And from the cellar they never could rise.

Al Bianchi assembled “the Bomb Squad”
Mark Jackson, J. New, and the Hot Rod.
Traded Cartwright for Oak,
But MacLeod was a joke,
And the roster, though good, remained flawed.

Grunfeld put together some winners
Reaching the finals when league talent got thinner.
He perfected the craft
Of dodging the draft
But his teams needed “Offense for Beginners”.

Ed Tapscot was GM for a day
With a roster on the verge of decay
Instead of drafting Artest
Took the player he thought best:
A Frenchman who stayed in Marseilles.

Scott Layden had the master solution:
Trading Ewing to begin the devolution
Getting Longley and Rice,
Swapping Camby for ‘Dice
And then brilliantly maxing out Houston.

And who could forget our Isiah
At one time, a Hall of Fame playah
But as an exec
Proved an utter train wreck:
A perverted, capped-out franchise slayah.

So now there’s a savior named Donnie
Who, to undo all Isiah’d done wrong, he
Traded all of our picks
‘Till Three Thousand and Six
But still wins if he gets us LeBronie!

Is Kobe Bryant still gonna be worth $30 million in three years? (source: Yardbarker.com)

For those who missed it, I wrote a post on the main FanSided page about proposed changes for the NBA’s Salary Cap Rules.  Here’s the intro:

Last week Kobe Bryant signed a three-year extension for around $85 million.  As with most NBA contracts, the amount increases each year.  Unlike most NBA contracts, it’s gonna give him over $30 mill when he’s 34.  That’s an age when most athletic perimeter players experience a sharp decline in effectiveness.  Lakerland may be thrilled about it today, but will they still be in 2013 when he may be reduced to playing turnstile defense like Derek Fisher?  (Of course by then Fisher’s corpse will need to be rolled onto the court and placed near the basket in hope that his stationary body can still draw fouls.)  I mean just today the Lakers announced that the Kobster would miss the last two games due to injury, so surely if age doesn’t catch up to him, injuries will, right?

Okay, history has taught us never to bet against the Black Mamba, but Kobe’s always been the exception, not the rule.  The sad story of the NBA over the last two decades has been that of overpaid players whose salaries cripple their teams.  Sometimes it’s the team’s own darn fault for making such a dumb deal (see Jerome James getting $30 million after one good round in the playoffs despite being a 30 year-old who averaged 4 points).  Sometimes the player gets injured (see Tracy McGrady or actually pretty much all the players listed in my recent Fall Of Shame post).  Sometimes the deal was dumb AND the player gets injured (see Eddy Curry and Allan Houston — can ya tell I’m a Knicks’ fan?).

Now I don’t mind that billionaire owners get stuck having to pay extra millions, but with the NBA’s salary cap it’s the fans who get screwed hardest ‘cuz we can’t get new good players in until we get rid of these old lemons.  How can we fix things?  Actually, the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ends shortly, so here are some amendments to future player contracts that they should consider:

The end of the post is here.

Back in 2001, Earl Barron played for Memphis. Both he and the Knicks thought they had a promising decade ahead of them. They were wrong. But perhaps now we can combine forces and make the Tens be OUR decade. (source: Yardbarker.com)

For those who don’t know, though I’m a born and bred New Yorker, I’ve spent the last decade-plus in Los Angeles.  While here, I’ve adopted the Clippers as my sad, pathetic little brother to encourage.  That resulted in my creating the site FullyClips.com for the FanSided Network here before I got promoted up to the big leagues and was given the Knicks’ site.  For my first post on this site, I did a piece on The Smackdown Battle For Title Of The Past Decade’s Worst NBA Franchise.  Much to Isiah Thomas’ chagrin, I gave the award to Donald Sterling’s Clippers.  Although to be fair to Isiah, he only had a few years of being in charge to screw up the Knicks, versus Sterling had the entire decade (& more).  I’m sure if Isiah had a larger time frame in which to work his (black) magic, he could’ve stunk up the joint just as poorly as The Donald did.

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Calling it quits is difficult for any professional athlete. Just ask Brett Favre, who has yet to make a decision (surprise, surprise!) about whether or not he will play in the NFL again next season. Often times, the will to play overpowers the skills to play in older athletes and forces them to hang on for one…more…year in order to try and leave their sport at the top of their game.

Unfortunately, the recent retirement of Allen Iverson (wait, are we really ready to call it that yet?) reinforces a problem that many NBA players have faced at the end of their career. A.I. has not only had to deal with his diminished skills on the court–he’s also allegedly had to battle his demons off of it. It’s been enough to essentially force him out of the game that he’s loved so much for so many years. But he’s not the first player to face this fate. From contract negotiations gone bad to substance problems to devastating injuries, there are plenty of former NBA stars that have been forced to cut their careers short and leave the game under less-than-ideal circumstances. StreetLevel rounded up ten of the most heart-breaking scenarios…

Carl Braun, who was chosen for five consecutive All-Star games as a member of the New York Knicks, died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 82.

Braun died in Florida, the team said. He is the second former Knicks star to die in a week. Hall of Famer Dick McGuire, Braun’s teammate, passed away Feb. 3.

“Carl Braun was the first superstar of the New York Knicks and a cornerstone of our franchise’s early success,” team president Donnie Walsh said in a statement. “Watching him play at the old Garden was a privilege for us New Yorkers in the 1940s and ’50s. He is a true legend in our sport and he will be missed.”

Braun was an All-Star from 1953 to 1957 — he missed the 1956 game because of injury — and retired as the team’s career scoring leader with 10,449 points. He’s still in fifth place on the career list behind Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and Allan Houston.

“As a young New York Knicks fan in the ’50s, I spent hours trying to emulate Carl’s patented over-the-head shot,” NBA commissioner David Stern said. “Carl was one of the NBA’s early great shooters, an All-Star fixture on those Knicks teams and, most importantly, a great friend to all who knew him.”

Born on Sept. 25, 1927, in Brooklyn, Braun also spent two seasons as the Knicks’ player/coach before ending his career in 1961-62 with the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Braun is survived by his wife, Joan, four daughters and six grandchildren.

Lee is averaging 20 points and 11.4 rebounds and becomes the Knicks’ first All-Star since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell in 2001. Stern chose Lee over Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, who is averaging 16.0 points and 10.2 rebounds and has helped lead the Bucks to within a game of a playoff spot in the East.

Many do think that Bogut could be the second best official “center” in the East (I use quotes ‘cuz like Chris Bosh wants to be called a power forward, much like Tim Duncan always has, but he should be considered a center).  However, Bogut started off the season slow and injured and has only come on recently.  Surely, David Lee’s consistent excellence (particularly in the face of such adversity as the Knicks have gone through) makes him a much easier choice.

I’m actually shocked that Atlanta’s Josh Smith wasn’t chosen (or even mentioned in that article).  The growth in Smith’s game (along with the addition of former Knick Jamal Crawford) has been widely heralded as the reason why the Hawks have made the jump from slightly above average to potential contender.  My guess is that since there are already two Hawks on the All-Star Team (which wrongly includes their center Al Horford), that’s part of the reason Smoove got the shaft.  Plus, Stern loves the major market of New York, so the potential of getting all those fans interested seems like a pretty strong pull too.  And again, that major market is another huge plus in Lee’s favor over Milwaukee’s Bogut.  Anyway, one thing’s for certain: initial reports that Stern only chose Lee because they have the same first name have proven to be false.

Congrats, big guy.

We’re 5-15 after tonight’s win @ Atlanta, and guess who was in attendance? Yeah, Allan Houston and myself.

Houston and I

Yeah, I snagged seats about 7 rows up from courtside and guess who sat right in front of me? Houston is a real cool guy, but getting a pic with him was tough, but that’s beside the point. Getting to meet my favorite Knick ever was a dream come true. It was crazy because I felt like a little kid again, and it was awesome.

Expect new updates and analysis on the team to come tomorrow.