And trading Komives and Bellamy for Dave DeB.mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa,Willis Reed is 5.c. tied with Shaq and Duncan.
My all time personal favorite because of him, before the championships in 70-73, I rooted for those Knick teams with Dick Van Ardsdale, Howie Komives, Walt Bellamy, Willis turned the franchise around along with the replacement of Coaches and getting super scout Red Holzman as head coach.
Adding Wes Unseld and Zelmo Beatty to my Honorable Mentions.
Memory Lane
- Thread starter SLYFOXX1968
- Start date
Tony Jackson played in an all star game after his senior year, 1961. When he got back to class he spoke to me about the talents of the players he practiced with. One comment stuck with me.
Going up for a rebound against Walt Bellamy was like banging into a tree.
Going up for a rebound against Walt Bellamy was like banging into a tree.
big and strong, for a while the Knicks had Bellamy at center and Willis at the forward spot, calling them the the twin towers.
worked out much better when they traded Komives and Bellamy to the Pistons for Dave DeB, forward (and one time White Sox pitcher)
Great points. And I believe that Dave DeB was also a player coach of the Pistons at a very young age.
Moose
Well-known member
The Ricky Torres Tournament
You are right but that was 43 years ago.
We beat the great Devin Durrant, (a McDonalds All American and former NBA player) as we beat BYU in the 1982 ECAC Holiday Festival.
Debusschere was absolutely the lynchpin to the Knicks brief but spectacular glory years.
The amazing stat is what the Knicks record was before acquiring Debusschere, what it was during his Knicks tenure and what it was after he left.
Before the trade the Knicks had ten of eleven seasons well below five hundred (278-474 total regular season record during those eleven plus seasons until the trade). They were 18-17 in the 1968 season when they traded for Debusschere on December 19th, 1968.
After the trade, things immediately clicked for the Knicks and they went 36-11 the rest of that season. For the next five seasons the Knicks won 266 additional regular season games (53.2 wins per year), were always well over five hundred and won two NBA championships. The regular season record for the Knicks during the Debusschere years was 302-155.
Debusscherre retired after the 1973/1974 season and the Knicks immediately reverted to their pre-Debusschere form. Over the next 14 seasons they had ten losing seasons and only one season where they hit the 50 win mark. Over those fourteen seasons their regular season record was 516-634.
Frazier, Reed, Barnett, Bradley (later on Monroe and Lucas) were all time Knick greats, but without the lynchpin, Dave Debusschere, the Knicks greatness of that era probably never occurs.
I was born in the 80s so I don’t remember Bill, Wilt, or Kareem. Shaq was the most dominant player I’ve ever seen in any sport during his prime. I don’t know if there was ever a better combination of size, strength, and coordination to walk this planet.
Wilt I loved because he was in my favorite movie as a kid, Conan the Destroyer.
I am happiest when I remember close losses as wins! Did we really lose to Durant? I recall Post hyped him and game at garden and I recall going home happy. Was that the night I met the blonde nurse? Does not matter. I am happy.
And who remembers Howard Komives and his role in building that roster?
Dave retired to work on Wall Street. He was a fixture at Michael’s restaurant downtown at lunch entertaining clients. Nice guy, always pleasant.
Bingo
Yep. Especially unique because he was pitcher for Chico I think in American League. So two sport great athlete coaching in NBA before he turned 30.
And the other center Knicks drafted with Reed was Bad News Barnes.
We lost to Texas and Kevin Durant 77-76 in the game you were referring to. Anthony Mason Jr. missed a last second shot at the buzzer that would have won it, wasting a 22 point effort and six 3 pointers from Avery Patterson.
I was being facetious and referenced a game from Chris Mullin’s sophomore season. SJU defeated a Devin Durrant and BYU at MSG, behind Mully’s 22 points.
When healthy, Walton was the equal of any of those greats.
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Another member of the "Tim Duncan Is A Center Not A Power Forward Club."
Good to have you aboard.
Treasure Coast Johnny
Well-known member
I don’t know if he was a fixture here, but I saw him on the dance floor at Wilson’s Garage in Westhampton Beach one summer in the 80’s. He was the only guy there with white hair.