Knicks in the Finals: 27 years of mistakes in New York. Now the turning point?

From 1999 to 2026, 27 long years of suffering and a lot of mediocrity for a historic NBA franchise. All this now takes a back seat with the New York fans celebrating their ticket to the long-awaited NBA Finals, but there have certainly been moments of discouragement from 2000 onwards. The common denominator is certainly James Dolan who, after many truly bizarre decisions, has finally put the right person in the right place, entrusting the club’s fate in 2020 to Leon Rose, the man capable of breaking the spell and bringing the Knicks back to the Finals. After the 1999 exploit, many things happened at Madison Square Garden, almost all of which are difficult not to categorize as negative.

the allan houston mistake

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Starting with the mega contract signed by Allan Houston in July 2001 (6 years at 100 million, the richest agreement up to that point in the history of the franchise), which however soon became a burden for the Knicks due to the player’s chronic knee problems who would have had to take over from Patrick Ewing to keep the club at the top in the years to come. The end of Houston’s career then coincided with the arrival in the city of Isaiah Thomas (in 2003), a great friend of Dolan but disastrous as the puppeteer of a club in free fall. The Thomas era leaves very few positive memories and, after years of criticism, Dolan decides to change his tune. In 2008 he entrusted himself to a veteran like Donnie Walsh, who as his first move offered a rich contract to Mike D’Antoni (four-year contract worth 24 million), snatching him away from the “seven seconds or less” Suns.

there’s galo, then comes melo

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A certain Danilo Gallinari also arrives in New York, sixth choice in the 2008 draft, in a team in need of reconstruction. Lots of promises but also lots of mistakes, especially at management level. First the disappointment of the famous summer of 2010, that of LeBron’s “Decision”, with James or Wade as the primary objectives of a free agency which instead gave the Knicks only Amare Stoudemire. The prospects improve and the potential to create a solid team, however, suffers a sudden slowdown with the push and pull of Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets, aware that Melo, the next free agent, wants to go to New York, played up the Knicks in February 2011. Walsh didn’t give up but Dolan decided on his own. Rather than wait for the summer and add the talent of the freewheeling Anthony to an intriguing team, the owner opts to accept the “package” proposed by Denver, thus spending too many interesting players in Colorado, including Gallo, to take Melo. Anthony left his mark at Madison Square Garden in his New York stint (2011-2017) but the results did not arrive with the team winning only a single playoff series in those seven seasons.

the phil jackson era

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Halfway through the Anthony era, Phil Jackson arrives in the cockpit, a decidedly high-sounding acquisition for one of the greatest coaches in history who is approaching a managerial role for the first time. Jackson’s adventure, however, would prove to be a real disaster, with depressing moments such as the 2014-15 season which ended with only 17 wins on the scoresheet, and the former Bulls and Lakers guru would then be fired in June 2017, leaving New York with a record of 90 wins and 171 defeats. We continue with one hole in the water after another and with the ambitions of a very passionate fanbase promptly disappointed. This brings us to the summer of 2019, the one that should have changed the direction of the franchise. After a year of flirting with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the couple who should have brought the Knicks back to the top decides to sign for a team from the Big Apple, but for the one that plays in Brooklyn. With New York fans now disenchanted, Leon Rose’s arrival in 2020 goes almost unnoticed, instead the former agent slowly changes the culture at the Garden and builds the team capable of finally making the fans smile and can now finally celebrate.