Will Knicks Futility Ever End?

Right when things seemed finally promising again, the Knicks have had a sharp regression since last season.

March 7, 2022

Source: Google Images

Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain. The first word that comes to mind being a Knicks fan. To put it bluntly, throughout my entire life the Knicks have sucked. Sure, there was a frozen envelope(?) before my time. There were the Carmelo Years in the early 2010s which included electric performances such as Melos 61 point game against the Hornets and a playoff series win against the archival Boston Celtics. There was Linsanity which was a fun month. There was Kristaps Porzingis and the hype that surrounded him following the whole arena booing him on draft night. But these instances are part of a much smaller positive list compared to the recent and historical negatives the franchise has suffered through. All are distant memories in 2022. After finally appearing to be on the upswing last season with a playoff berth, the Knicks were quickly KO'd by public enemy number one Trae Young and have sunk back into a pathetic joke again this season. The team currently resides at 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 26-38. Barring a miracle, they are pretty much done in terms of making the playoffs. While the future appears decently bright with some young talent scattered all over the roster, only RJ Barrett inspires confidence as a potential budding superstar. Barrett is averaging 19 Points Per Game, 5.8 Rebounds, and 2.8 Assists.

As a Knicks fan, the only thing that inspires any confidence of me seeing a championship in my lifetime is how teams such as the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Eagles were a few recent teams to break their respective droughts. However, despite this it appears like a pipe dream until it comes to fruition. New York City at its core is a basketball city, and a Knicks championship would be absolute bedlam in the streets (Good luck containing that parade if it ever happens NYPD). The ironic thing about the Knicks "curse" is that instead of a bambino or billy goat our curse seems to be the front office.

Knicks owner James Dolan is a terrible owner and easily among the worst in sports. He has a reputation for being too hands on with his teams and the dude has the patience and temper of a five year old child. This was highlighted by incidents such as when Dolan kicked out Knicks legend Charles Oakley in an ugly scene a few years back. Whatever Dolan touches seems to instantly get destroyed. When your owner is making more headlines than the product on the court, you know you've got a problem.

The Knicks should have won at least one championship in the 1990s having featured the likes of guys like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, and John Starks. The best chance, of course, was 1994 against Hakeem the Dream and the Houston Rockets. But, John Starks built a brick house and the rest is sadly history as the Knicks lost in 7 games. The Knicks would appear in the finals again in 1999 where they got smoked 4-1 against the San Antonio Spurs. Since the 21st Century, the Knicks have been mediocre at best and a clown show at worst.

Next year, the championship drought hits the 50 year mark. At some point, you have to figure the Knicks get a championship. Sadly it still feels eons away. If there is a plus to this somber news, it is that Knicks fans are used to suffering. It only goes up from here, right?