For so many Knicks fans, those 1990s teams left wounds that just wouldn’t heal until “this group got it done in June”. We’re talking about the closest that franchise ever came to finally raising that Larry O’Brien Trophy, but it slipped away. By the time Patrick Ewing walked out the door in 2001, the drought was absolutely real, tangible, and had everyone asking, “Are they ever gonna win again?” This series? Yeah, we’re diving into the bad, the moments that still sting, because sometimes you gotta relive the what-ifs to appreciate how far a team has come. Another week closer to actual Knicks basketball, let’s go.
The Trade That Still Haunts 90s Fans
Oh man, talk about a gut punch. Back in 1990, the Knicks made a move that still makes you scratch your head: trading Rod Strickland for Maurice Cheeks. Strickland was a solid backup point guard, fresh into the league, but he was stuck behind Mark Jackson, who was Rookie of the Year in ’88 and an All-Star in ’89. The Knicks were contending, right? They were trying to hit that “next level.” So, what’d they do? They shipped out this young guard who was blocked for a 33-year-old veteran. Cheeks was a champion with Philly in ’83 and a top defensive guard, sure, even an assistant on “this year’s staff” now. But come on, a 33-year-old for a blossoming talent?
Cheeks played just 107 games as a Knick, putting up eight points and five assists per game. He did step up in the postseason, but he was gone before the 1991-92 season even started, traded for a pick that eventually became Charlie Ward. He retired just a year later. Meanwhile, Strickland? He blew up. Went on to be a great starting guard for San Antonio and Portland, eventually averaging 19 points and nine assists in his prime through the mid-to-late 90s. You gotta wonder, could an offensively challenged Knicks team, one that relied on gritty defense and John Starks for playmaking, have used a guy like Strickland in those deep playoff runs? That’s a huge “what if” right there. Did this trade even happen if Al Bianchi had left in 1989 instead of Rick Pitino? Man, that’s an interesting inflection point in franchise history.
The Start of a Disastrous Season
Right after that trade, the 1990-91 season kicked off, and let me tell you, the source calls it “disastrous.” That 1991 Knicks squad was built around a 28-year-old Patrick Ewing. He was the main man, alongside a 27-year-old C (the source doesn’t even give us the rest of the name, wild, right?). We know it was a banner decade for Knicks basketball overall, but amidst all that good, those early choices and the rough starts like the 1990-91 season just kept that championship trophy out of reach. It was all about the close calls, the painful misses. That frustration builds up, decade after decade, until you finally get it done. Remembering these moments, even the bad ones, makes the victories so much sweeter.
So, as we get closer to actual Knicks basketball again, maybe these deep dives help. They certainly show you the hurdles, the questionable decisions, and the absolute pain that fans had to sit through. It’s a 53-year retrospective for a reason, showing how long a shadow those 90s near-misses cast. The current squad might have lifted the LOB, but the ghosts of what could have been still linger from that era. That’s the stuff that sticks with you, the moments you just can’t forget.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Posting and Toasting.
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