It shouldn’t be too hard as the Knicks haven’t exactly been blessed with successful head coaches throughout their history.

With that being said, here’s a look at the Top 10 head coaches in Knicks franchise history.

Mar 9, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike D

10. Lenny Wilkens: Wilkens cracks the list, not so much for anything he did on the Knicks bench but because he was one of the best ever and he did lead the franchise to their last playoff berth in 2004 before stepping down in 2005 with a career 40-41 record with the Knicks.

9. Mike D’Antoni (2008-12): This may not be a popular choice and D’Antoni’s record of 121-167 would suggest he wasn’t a great coach, but he was. D’Antoni had as little to work with early in his tenure as any coach in franchise history and ended up getting the Knicks back to the playoffs in 2011 before being forced out in 2012.

8. Willis Reed (1977-78): Great players usually don’t make great coaches and Reed was no exception, although he did finish slightly over .500 in his 96 game stint at 49-47. He also led the Knicks into the playoffs in 1977.

7. Stu Jackson (1989-90): Jackson had a nice first season on the Knicks bench, leading them to a 45-37 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference semi’s in 1990, but didn’t have as much luck his second season and was replaced after getting off to a 7-8 start the following year.

6. Rick Pitino (1987-89): The year before he arrived, the team had won only 24 games. In just two years, Pitino led the Knicks to their first division title in nearly twenty years. He finished with a 90-74 record in three seasons with the Knicks and coached in 13 playoff games, which is actually the sixth highest total of any Knicks coach, which is actually pretty sad.

5. Hubie Brown (1982-86): After reaching the playoffs in each of Brown’s first two seasons, the Knicks plummeted to 24-58 in 1984-85 and 23-59 in 1985-86 and was eventually fired after a 4-12 start the following season. But there were circumstances that were far beyond Brown’s control that led to his downfall. Star forward Bernard King suffered a devastating knee injury in March 1985 in a game against the Kansas City Kings, not fully recovering for two seasons, while Patrick Ewing, the top overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, missed 32 games in an injury-plagued rookie season. I always felt Brown was a better coach then he got credit for being.

4. Jeff Van Gundy (1996-2001): Van Gundy was the head coach of the Knicks from March 8, 1996 until his resignation on December 8, 2001. He led the team to the playoffs six times, including their Cinderella run to the 1999 NBA Finals. He finished with a career record of 248-172 (third most wins in franchise history) and the 69 postseason games he coached in are the second most in Knicks history. JVG is another coach who I think was underappreciated around the league.

3. Joe Lapchick (1947-56): Lapchick led the Knicks to eight straight winning seasons and eight trips to the playoffs, including three straight NBA Finals from

April 6, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Pat Riley in attendance at the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

1951 to 1953. He was considered a great motivator, but Lapchick had the reputation for being a wild man on the sidelines, stomping on his coat, smashing chairs, and tossing various objects into the air. Stress-management problems forced him to quit near the end of the 1955–56 season. He left the Knicks with a 326-247 NBA coaching record.

2. Pat Riley (1991-95): Riley led the Knicks to the best regular season record in team history in 1993 (tied with the 1969-1970 team) and received his second Coach of the Year award. Riley’s ability to work with the physical, deliberate Knicks was outstanding, considering that he was associated with the fast-paced Lakers in the 1980s. Riley returned to the NBA Finals in 1994, but his Knicks lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets after being up 3–2 in the series.  During his tenure in the Big Apple, Riley posted a career record of 223-105 and his .680 winning percentage is the best in Knicks history.

1. Red Holzman (1967-77, 1978-82): Holzman tops the list and this was an easy choice considering his accomplishments. During a 15-year span as Knicks’ coach, Holzman won a total of 613 games, including two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973.

In 1969, Holzman coached the Knicks to a then single-season NBA record 18-game win streak, breaking the 17-game record first set back in 1946. For his efforts leading up to the Knicks’ 1970 championship win, Holzman was named the NBA Coach of the Year. He was one of very few individuals to have won an NBA championship as both player and coach. In 1985, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Knicks have retired the number 613 in his honor, equaling the number of wins he accumulated as their head coach.

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Best Season as a Knick: 1987-88- 13.6 PPG, 10.6 Assists, 2.5 Steals- Rookie of the Year

When putting a top 35 list together as we have been doing on this site, it can be very difficult. One of most difficult parts is placing players on the list who were very good, but tenure with the Knicks was not very long. For example, we all know based on ability Carmelo Anthony would be no worse than top 8 of all time Knicks, but because he has only been a Knick for half a season, he is not even close to being that.

Mark Jackson is another Knick’s player who falls into this category. As a player, many could argue Jackson should be higher than 14 on the list, but because he only played 6 1/2 of his 17 NBA seasons with the Knicks. The Knicks drafted the hometown product out of St. Johns with the 18th pick of the 1987 draft. They even brought him back in the 2001-02 season at age 35.

Jackson was phenomenal as a rookie, averaging over 13 points and 10 assists a game, winning rookie of the year honors. Jackson fit in perfectly dishing the ball off to Patrick Ewing and helping lead the Knicks to the playoffs. He played another 4 seasons as a Knick, but was traded to the Clippers as part of the Charles Smith and Doc Rivers deal.

Jackson’s play as a Knick declined after his first two seasons. Once Pat Riley took over as coach, it signaled the end of Jackson’s Knick career. Riley wanted a quicker point guard who played defense, and Jackson did not fit that criteria.

Looking back at it, the Clippers probably got the better end of the deal just for Charles Smith alone. Smith was a disaster and cost the Knicks in the 1993 series against the Bulls. However, when you looked at Smith’s numbers as a Clipper, he was a very good player and appeared to be a great complement player alongside Patrick Ewing. Rivers, on the other hand, was a solid player and provided more of what Pat Riley wanted from his point guard.

Something else that hurts Jackson status is the fact that he played on the Pacer teams during the Knicks heated rivalry with them. I hated the Pacers and hated Jackson even more. Whether it was his stupid looking tear drop or his shimmy dance or pointing to the basket when taking a foul shot, I could not stand him. When I think of Jackson. I do not remember him as a Pacer, not a Knick.

By Rob Bonanni

Derek Harper might be one of the most underrated and unappreciated players who ever donned the Knicks uniform. I think people forget just how good of a player he was and how valuable he was to the early-mid 90s teams. He only played 2 1/2 years for the Knicks and is better known for his years with the Mavericks, but will always hold a significant place in the heart of Knick fans. (more…)

Danilo vs. Carmelo: a spirited battle of ridiculously Italian first names. (Source: Interbasket.net)

After failing to get LeBron James in the off-season, followed by a pre-season loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, things looked bleak this summer, but what a difference a few months makes.  Antony Marino takes us through the lows of our past, up to the highs of our present (without using drugs):

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Popular movie, or an omen of Pat Riley's impending arrival? You decide.

Could it be that the explanation for the Knicks excellence is due to evil supernatural causes?  Stan Chin plunges into the netherworld to find the Devil in the Details:

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Wade's coming in for a landing. A free agent landing. (source: Yardbarker.com)

After ESPN’s focus on LeBron James’ free agency last week, this week they turn to Wade:

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: Wade has complained openly about wanting to play with better teammates. The Heat have schemed blatantly to get major cap room. They are required to sign about a dozen more players. And there are tons of free agents on the market. It’s a lock the Heat will add lots of new talent. It’s not at all a lock, however, that one of those new players will be LeBron James or Chris Bosh. James, I think, will be in Cleveland, and deep-pocketed front offices in Chicago and New York will be pushing hard to add top-shelf talent. Most likely is that the Heat convince Wade to stay with a revamped roster in which he’s the only superstar … unless New York or Chicago can talk Wade into leaving.

First, let’s make it clear it’s less that Wade’s complained and more that he’s made it clear he wants to win.  ”Complaining” makes it sound like he’s some spoiled kid, but he’s said what any star should say: he wants a chance to play for the title during his prime.  While his buddy LeBron has been rather nebulous in his desires, Wade’s been pretty clear and forthright: he wants to stay in Miami as long as they’re competitive.  So while I think it’s extremely unlikely Wade will leave Miami, I gotta disagree with Abbott on his conclusion that Wade will remain there even if he’s the only star.

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(source: ESPN's "30 On 30")

Last night, ESPN premiered it’s most recent installation in their “30 on 30″ documentary series (inspired & led by Bill Simmons, it’s a look at 30 lesser-known stories from these past 30 years that ESPN has been in existence).  Even for a Knick fan, the Reggie Miller-centric documentary was funny, nostalgic, informative, and moving.  There’s something intriguing and different about a doc that looks back at something you lived through as opposed to introducing you to a new world you knew nothing about (although obviously for many people the doc will fall into the latter category).

First, at the time, New Yorkers (and probably most NBA fans in general) thought of Reggie Miller as the ultimate villain.  Michael Jordan was the guy who you wanted to defeat, but Reggie was the guy who you wanted to see get in an “unfortunate” car accident.  It wasn’t about what he did to the Knicks, it was about who he was and how he played.  He talked smack non-stop, played dirty, and would fake & flop to try to get non-existent calls.  And by dirty, I don’t mean physical, ‘cuz you were allowed to play darn physical at the time.  By dirty, I mean doing things when the refs weren’t looking.  Swingin’ them pointy elbows for sneak attacks whenever possible (by the way, there is no truth to the rumor that he rubbed his elbows with sandpaper to get them particularly sharp).  Read what his own sister, Cheryl, says about him in the doc:

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Move over James Cameron! The Pacers try to go for 3 Ds against Patrick Ewing in 1995. (source: ESPN's "30 On 30")

The 30 On 30 series will be premiering the Reggie Miller/Knicks documentary tonight at 9 (Eastern time) on ESPN.  If you miss it, it’ll be on ESPN2 a few hours later, and well, at all sorts of hours and channels forever afterward.  It looks pretty darn good, and for you young fans who’ve gotten used to seeing your Knicks always lose — don’t worry, the winning time refers to Indiana not New York. As they describe it on the film’s site:

Reggie Miller gave New York the finger. The whole city.

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And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.