Glen Rice: The NBA Star's Fall From Grace In New York

Glen Rice / Wikimedia Commons

The New York Knicks brought in Glen Rice during the 2000-2001 season as he looked like a very promising player, however he was not able to perform well for the team. Rice was not able to fit in well with the Knicks and was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2001.

Rice was an NBA All-Star from 1996-1998 and was able to win the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. The Knicks expected a lot from Rice; however while with the Knicks he was benched a lot, only averaging 12 points per game. He was not able to perform well, as he had a foot injury (plantar fasciitis), and did not find his place alongside Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell. 

“The best players will play,” Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said in July 2001 to the New York Post.

In the beginning of the 2000-2001 season, the Knicks were able to start off with a successful pre-season; however, for Rice it was a different story. Rice was a very good player, but he was not able to find his rhythm throughout his time with the Knicks. He never embraced the role of sixth man, as he felt he deserved more playing time.

''I said this many times; it did work, all the way to the fifth game, like everything else on our team,'' Van Gundy said to the New York Times. ''The unfortunate part is you make a trade and somebody goes to the bench and you expect them to get starter's numbers playing bench minutes. Glen Rice was a very, very good player -- he was when he came here, he leaves a very good player and he'll go somewhere that's more to his liking, where he'll be a starter. Obviously, if that was such a big problem, getting all three guys minutes, we wouldn't have traded for another guy on the perimeter.''

Things got worse for Rice as during the last three months of the season Rice was not able to practice because of his foot injury. Rice was not able to perform during the 2000-2001 NBA season. He was not able to fit in with the team and ended up averaging a career low of 12 points with the Knicks. The New York Knicks traded Rice in a three-way trade along with the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. This ended his disappointing career in New York.

From College Prodigy To NBA Bust: The Story Of Bo Kimble

Bo Kimble Knicks Basketball Card / Hoops

The toughest sight in sports is when a player doesn’t live up to his potential. Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins may come to mind, but one that perhaps doesn’t is Bo Kimble.

Kimble’s journey from college star to NBA bust is one of the most remarkable in basketball history, and the Loyola Marymount grad’s career could go down in history as the greatest that never was. 

The 54-year-old had a compelling, illustrious college career. After leaving the University of Southern California due to a falling out with new head coach George Raveling, he and his longtime friend and teammate Hank Gathers both transferred to Loyola Marymount. 

Teaming up with Gathers and NBA Champion coach Paul Westhead, Kimble led Loyola Marymount to be arguably the most exciting team in college basketball history. Westhead installed a very fast-paced, run-and-gun style of play, featuring a constant full-court press on defense. His college run’s pinnacle was during his senior year, where he led the entire nation in scoring and was named a second team All-American.

However, when it all seemed to be going well, tragedy struck. Gathers collapsed on the court during the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament, and he devastatingly passed away. 

The tournament was canceled, and Loyola was awarded a spot in the NCAA Division I Tournament due to their first place spot in the regular-season standings. Kimble, along with having to cope with the death of his close friend, now had to lead his team in the toughest college basketball competition in the country.

Pushing through the adversity, Kimble and his team made one of the most memorable, touching runs in college history, losing only in the Elite Eight to the eventual champions University of Nevada. Along the way, Kimble bested eventual 7-time NBA Champion Robert “Big-Shot Bob” Horry, as well as the defending NCAA champions in the University of Michigan.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of all was Kimble’s lefty free-throws, which he took in honor of his fallen teammate. Gathers was actually right-handed, but he was so bad at free throws that he decided to switch to shooting left-handed, and he ultimately ended up with a better free-throw percentage. For every game, Kimble took his first free throw left-handed, converting every single one he attempted.

After the tournament, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Kimble as the eighth pick in the 1990 NBA Draft. Despite a promising start, his time became limited as the months passed, and he spent most of his two years in Los Angeles on the bench for a Clippers team that was considered one of the worst of all time for many years now.

He was traded to the New York Knicks along with Doc Rivers and Charles Smith before the 1992-1993 season. Kimble rarely saw the court, playing only nine games the entire season. He was stuck in a crowded Knicks backcourt that included Doc Rivers and John Starks.

The only game in which he was given significant game time was against the Phoenix Suns, where a massive brawl caused the ejection of four Knicks players. Kimble played 21 minutes and scored 11 points, in what would be his most notable game with the Knicks.

After the season ended, where Jordan and the Bulls bested the Knicks yet again in the Conference Finals, Kimble was cut from the team. In a move that many viewed as inevitable, the Knicks felt that it was the best decision for all parties:

“It was in the best interest of Bo and the Knicks to allow him to seek other opportunities to play at this time,” Knicks General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said.

Just three years ago, he had led America in college scoring, but he now found himself without a team in the NBA. Kimble decided to go overseas to play for CRO Lyon in France’s top division, the Jeep Elite. 

The shooting guard averaged about 20 points and five rebounds per game, good for the top ten in scoring. However, Kimble was cut yet again, ending his career in Europe and forcing him to move back to America. At that point, he still felt he was good enough to make it back to the NBA.

“The players know I belong out there,” Kimble told the Los Angeles Times. “The people who watch the game, they don’t understand. All they see is Bo Kimble, great shooter, great scorer, not playing. I’m not going to give up. For a long time.”

Kimble kept trying, but he never did get back into the NBA. He played several years for the Continental Basketball Association, but he was moved around constantly.

His most notable moment was during a game with his first team, the Rapid City Thrillers. After a poor performance, GM/head coach and future NBA coach Eric Musselman asked Kimble and another two former NBA players on the team to name one other team in their CBA division. None of the players could, and they were all scrapped the next day.

“I liked Bo and Rumeal [Robinson, Kimble’s teammate], they were nice guys, but I’ve never traded two guys who were less valuable,” Musselman told Sports Illustrated.

Kimble’s attitude towards the CBA never allowed him to be successful there because he knew he was too good for it, and he acted like it. Looking back on his career, Kimble blames the Clippers organization for stunting his progress and setting him on a path to failure.

“I’m used to unity, and there was no unity on the Clippers. I’m used to playing as a team and being together. But NBA basketball is quite different than anything I’ve experienced,” Kimble said. “I didn’t have the support of the coach [Mike Schuler]. If you’re drafted to be the scorer and the shooter, and your coach is telling you, ‘You’re not at Loyola. Don’t shoot this shot, don’t shoot this shot.’ Well, then you start to wonder. I kind of lost my identity of who I really was. If I can’t shoot and score, do what I do best, well, then what do you want me to do?”

Kimble had always been associated with the unconventional system he thrived under at Loyola, and therefore most scouts believed he couldn’t make it in the NBA. But Kimble always had the talent to succeed, he just became a victim of unfortunate circumstances.

“It becomes easy to track,” his college coach Westhead told the Los Angeles Times. “Once your minutes go down, if you’re a shooter you start playing tight. If you’re not making shots, your minutes keep going down, and unfortunately what happens to a player is he begins to second-guess his shot and he goes spinning downward.”

Kimble’s impact during his only season in New York, and his career as a whole, was not what he expected. He very likely had more to offer than he was given credit for, especially considering everything he did to get to the NBA. He was dealt an awful hand and overcame it to will his team through with a natural-born leadership reminiscent of Michael Jordan.

Kimble’s determination, mentality, and sheer will to win made him one of the most talented players to fall through the cracks in the NBA.

From Ball to Faith: Andrew Lang’s Road to Chaplaincy

Andrew Lang’s unique transformation from a seasoned professional NBA player to a chaplain was an unexpected one. He was known as a skilled shotblocker, averaging 1.5 blocks per game during his 12 year NBA career. Lang played center for several teams, including the Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks, before finishing his career with the New York Knicks. Lang’s end in the NBA brought him closer to his faith, leading him to pursue a new career as a chaplain.

Andrew Lang Basketball card for the Atlanta Hawks (Topps)

The Knicks acquired free agent Lang in an attempt to strengthen the team’s frontlines in the 1999-2000 season without injured center Patrick Ewing. This came as a shocking revelation to Knicks fans, as Lang previously collided with Ewing in 1997, causing Ewing to suffer a dislocated bone as well as several torn ligaments in the right wrist. By 1999, the Knicks looked to Lang to fill the gap Ewing left, who had sustained an achilles injury.

“We have added another legitimate low-post player to our roster with the signing of Andrew Lang,'' General Manager Scott Layden said to the New York Times in 1999. ''His presence solidifies our frontcourt for the start of the season.”

Nonetheless, after playing only 19 games, Lang retired after the season. He chose to completely change professions and play a deeper part in Christianity as an evangelist. It was following a service that took place before a basketball game in which Lang found his true passion for chaplaincy.

“As a player, I always attended chapel services. Then, after I obtained my ministerial license, I was invited to speak at a chapel before a game. I began to really enjoy doing it because it kept me close to the game, which I really love,” Lang said in an interview with the Atlanta Hawks in 2005.

The Hawks offered Lang a position as team chaplain in 2003. Through his work, he was able to maintain a strong connection to basketball, but in a different form. Lang related to the players’ struggles by helping them feel more comfortable with sharing their own experiences. Lang’s own encounters also allowed him to better guide and encourage current players.

As a chaplain, Lang now holds chapel service before every home game. Players are given the opportunity to pray and talk about problems. Since the NBA is such a serious business, players can put their trust in people like Lang for guidance. Through his job, Lang is able to provide counsel for those struggling to cope with being in such public positions, helping many to stay positive both mentally and physically.

Clyde Frazier's styling and profiling

Walt "Clyde" Frazier/ Scott Mecum - flickr

Walt “Clyde” Frazier is one of the most recognizable figures in the history of the New York Knicks. He played with them for 10 years, helping them to win their only two championships, and stills continues bounding and astounding his fans. Although he is very well known for his playing career, his achievements after his retirement are just as recognizable. 

Frazier's time playing is nothing to be overlooked. He was born in Atlanta on March 1945, went to Southern Illinois University in 1964 and was the fifth draft pick in the ‘67 NBA Draft. His effervescent playing helped the Knicks win a championship in 1970, and then again in ‘73. Clyde’s swishing and dishing skills were like no other. After his voyage with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he retired three games into '79-'80 season. Only a few months later in December 1979, the Knicks retired his number ten and it is hanging for the rafters in Madison Square Garden every night. 

Clyde was Frazier's nickname, and it was given by a Knicks trainer when Frazier wore a Borsalino hat made of brown velour which resembled the hat Clyde Barrow wore in the movie Bonnie and Clyde. The nickname has stuck with him ever since.

Frazier also designed his own style of shoe for Puma. 

“The Puma Clyde. They came out with a suede shoe. The

The Puma Clyde/ Stephen Michael Barnett - flickr

other shoes were canvas [and] blue suede with a white stripe. Even before that, when I wore my Converse, I had one orange string and one blue string in the sneakers. Nobody else was doing that.” Frazier said in a 2013 interview with GQ magazine.

Frazier is very well known for his announcing. He is currently an announcer for the Knicks on the MSG network. Much like Craig Sager, another NBA announcer who wears bright outfits, Frazier is recognized for wearing amazing, expensive and fashionable suits. Style and fashion is a big part of being an announcer to Frazier. He has every style of suit from cow print to bright green and beyond. 

“I like unusual combinations,” Frazier said in a 2011 interview with the New York Times “I have to entertain myself. I like combinations that people wouldn’t think would go normally together.” 

Frazier is also known for his outstanding vocabulary while commentating games. He has a prodigious vocabulary and is known for using words that seem as if they would be on the SAT. “Hustling and Bustling,” “Posting and Toasting,” and “Wheeling and Dealing” are a few of his many used rhymes.

Not only is he a figure for Just for Men hair products, he also has his own restaurant. Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine is located in Manhattan. It is a fancy bar / restaurant that actually has a mini basketball court inside! New Yorkers love going there especially when Frazier makes a guest appearance. 

Frazier is known as much for his career off the court, as well as on. It is incredible how he was able to style and profile his way from a town in Atlanta with eight siblings all the way to the NBA and above. He was dressed in a white pullover and sweatpants going into his first game announcing for the Knicks and his style has changed much since then. Two rings and several suits later, he is still grooving his way around the NBA and New York. 

Tim Hardaway Jr. the new face on the Knicks

Tim Hardaway Jr. (5) playing defense /
Matthew D. Britt-flickr.com

Tim Hardaway Jr., a rookie shooting guard for the New York Knicks, was the 24th overall pick in the 2013-2014 NBA Draft. The Knicks were searching for a reliable scorer and felt that Hardaway Jr. could fill that position. After playing on the Knicks for a little more than half of the 2013-2014 season, he has shown that he can be a great offensive player and potentially be an All-Star.

Hardaway Jr. is an efficient scorer, and taking a look at his college stats when he played on the Michigan Wolverines, he averaged 14.3 points per game with a 50% two-point field goal rate. He gives the Knicks another scorer besides Carmelo Anthony, especially since the Knicks were plagued by injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani for a good portion of the year.

Hardaway Jr. started the season slowly, but improved quickly. After the All-Star break, Hardaway Jr. averaged more than 10 ppg. He is becoming more comfortable with his position on the team and is taking more shots. His improvement over the course of the year has placed him among the top performing rookies this season.

Analyst Andy Bailey from Bleacher Report speculates that Tim Hardaway Jr. is a better shooting guard than J. R. Smith. He can score more efficiently than Smith, which furthers his case for increased minutes.

“He [Tim Hardaway Jr.] should be playing the more efficient 2 [Shooting Guard]”, Bailey said in a 2014 article from Bleacher Report.

Typical of a rookie, Hardaway Jr's season has been plagued by inconsistency. On the days where he did not score over 10 points, he is shooting close to 35%. It also seems like he finds it hard to contribute to anything else besides scoring. He averages only 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He is going to need to work on his other offensive and defensive abilities for the next season if he wants to have a greater impact on the team.

“Tim isn’t your ordinary rookie. He’s a bit ahead of the game,” Mike Woodson said in a 2014 article from Metro.us. “Once he gets stronger, he’ll be even better on defense.”

Fortunately Hardaway Jr. has many years to work on his game. Hopefully, the Knicks will make the playoffs this season and have a good run with Hardaway Jr. getting some playoff experience to top off the end an encouraging rookie season.

Should J.R. Smith take the last shot?

J.R. Smith - Keith Allison / Flickr

Although J.R. Smith made some highlight reel plays this season, his risky buzzer beaters have not always won games. With Smith’s inconsistent shooting, the New York Knicks have to decide who should have the ball in their hands near the end of the fourth quarter. If Smith can’t be trusted to take the last second shots in crucial moments, then should the Knicks put the ball in Carmelo Anthony’s hand once he gets back from his knee injury?

In the Knicks’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, Smith carried them without Anthony, by scoring 36 points with three steals and three rebounds. He shot 14-29 from the field with the majority of his misses occurring during the most crucial parts of the game. When it came down to the last minutes, Smith was an awful shooter, finishing the fourth quarter 2-9. “My jumper was pretty much good all night except for the fourth quarter and just didn’t go in,” Smith said in an interview with CBS. Games like these question Smith’s consistency and reliability to shoot the ball in the last minutes of the game.

Smith’s crazy shots make Knicks fans excited one moment and a few minutes later, he will frustrate them with his poor decisions. “One minute, he's a chucker who throws up three-point shots willy-nilly. The next minute he's either mixing up his game or slamming home a key dunk,” said Josh Benjamin of Bleacher Report.

In the most important part of the games Smith stepped up to take the shots for the Knicks and failed them. He should not be trusted with the ball in the last minute. With Anthony coming back from injury, the ball should be in his hands during crunch time. As the Knicks leading scorer he should take the clutch shots instead of Smith.

Contributed by Nasif Chowdhury

Baron Davis' knee injury threatens his career

On April 31st during the third quarter of the New York Knicks' win against the Miami Heat, Baron Davis had an injury to his right knee that made him leave the game on a stretcher. The injury left the Knicks without a starting point guard. However, it is not their only problem. An MRI showed a tear in Davis' patella tendon. The injury is estimated to recover in a year, but the injury is so severe it leaves the rest Davis' career at risk.

This may be the end of Davis' long career. He was first noticed as an outstanding point guard at UCLA. He suffered a torn ACL and had to stay in college for another year due to the injury. However, he came back the next season with the explosiveness he had before the injury, making him the third overall draft pick of the 1999 NBA draft.

His NBA career started off with the then Charlotte Hornets and he was quickly noticed by fans as an outstanding player. He was an NBA All-Star twice with the Hornets, once in 2002 and another in 2004. Also in that year, Davis led the league in steals. He was then traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he led the league again in steals in 2008.

He battled battled from a herniated disk in his back, which was the cause of him being traded to three teams in the last three years. However, the injury he suffered from in April is career threatening but, he it does not affect him emotionally. Knicks' coach Mike Woodson said in a conference call, ''The one thing he did say is, 'Man, hey, I tried to give you all I could,' and I have a great deal of respect for players that work for me."

Davis' injury is estimated to recover in one year, but his one-year contract with the Knicks is finished. Since the contract is over he will become a free agent. His knee injury would make him slower on the court after the recovery which will be preventing him from being signed by another team. This is probably the last of Davis we will see in the NBA.

Jeremy Lin's future with the Knicks

Jeremy Lin / MattBritt00 / Flickr

In the past few weeks Jeremy Lin’s popularity soared after he recorded 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists on February 3rd against the New Jersey Nets. That game earned him a spot in the New York Knicks' starting line-up.

In his last game before All-Star weekend against the Miami Heat he struggled to bring the Lin-sanity to South Beach, ending the game with eight points and eight turnovers. This game left people questioning Lin’s skills.

In his first game back from All-Star weekend Lin had 19 points along with 13 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers, proving that he is still capable of what he was doing a few weeks ago. He played consistently, with 14 points in each of the past two games and averaging four turnovers.

Throughout the season Lin was criticized on his average of 5.6 turnovers per game. Against the Cavaliers he had only one turnover, which is an improvement from his recent games. This game hints that he can maintain a low amount of turnovers and keep his average of 21 points in his past 16 games.

Will Jeremy Lin's story continue?

Jeremy Lin photo taken by teamstickergiant/Flickr.com

Jeremy Lin, the rising star of the New York Knicks, is leading the team to numerous victories. Before the All-Star break Lin rose from being an anonymous new player to one of the top point guards in the NBA. Lin has created a name by being the MVP of many games and improved a team that had a bad record. Now, Lin was doing this consistently, until his team played against one of the top teams in the NBA, the Miami Heat where Lin seemed visibly shaken.

Lin’s future is one that is causing tremendous controversy. It is uncertain of what will happen in the future, but his amount of assists, rebounds, and points are not to be overlooked. Lin is improving day by day, but when he faced the Miami Heat he seemed star-struck. Some television shows such as ESPN are focusing way too much on Lin’s great performance.

In an article by Joe Cowley, “Will the Jeremy Lin story end in glory?", he noted Lin saying, “I think hopefully as the season progresses, it will go from that to the New York Knicks, and hopefully the Knicks can win basketball games, we can make a good push after the All-Star break and people will start talking about the Knicks and not necessarily me."

If the statistics are laid out, it seems that Lin is on his way to the playoffs. Although the Knicks are still not the top team, Lin can definitely use his skill to get his team there. Many people disagree with the idea of Lin leading the team after All-Star weekend, which is contradicting to his performance before the All-Star break. It is most likely that Lin will continue his outstanding performance similar to the past and that he will lead the Knicks to the playoffs.

New York Knicks clinch playoff berth for the first time since 2004

Shawne Williams and Landry Fields /Chamber of Fear / Wikimedia Commons

For the first time since 2004, Madison Square Garden will be the site of an NBA playoff game. It will be a chance for the hometown crowd to rally behind its new and revitalized New York Knicks. The last appearance for the Knicks was in the 2004 playoffs. Led by head coach Lenny Wilkens, their showing resulted in the New Jersey Nets sweeping them in the first round. Their last conference title came in 1999 under the guidance of Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing. Ever since the Ewing era, the Knicks have failed to impress any non-New Yorkers and those who weren't Knick fans.

That changed last summer with the arrival of Amar'e Stoudemire. For 53 games, Stoudemire, with the help of Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Toney Douglas and others turned the Knicks around and put them on the map of playoff contending teams.

In the middle of the season the Knicks took part in a groundbreaking three-team trade. This trade saw NBA veterans Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups put on blue and orange jerseys for the first time, but also saw many Knicks protégés leave to play for Denver, namely Gallinari and Felton. After a brief adjustment period when they went 7-13, they are now on a four game win streak and look to become the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2011 NBA playoffs.

This time led by distinguished head coach Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks look to prove themselves as being one of the elite teams that dominate the front page news once again, as opposed to half-page articles next to the classifieds section. Anthony and Stoudemire desire to add a NBA playoff ring to their enormous collections of awards.

In order to be successful in their playoff run, the Knicks need to keep passing the ball the way they have these last four games. The confidence that they are showing on the court is key to hitting big shots in close situations, where they will find themselves in most playoff games. The three-point game has really worked for them as of late, hitting fifteen of them against the Raptors Tuesday night on 56% three-point shooting. If they continue to play tough defense as they have been since the start of April, Knicks fans will have a lot to cheer about as they see their team run deep into the playoffs.

Trading for Carmelo ... bad decision?

The New York Knicks are not doing as well as they believed they would this current season. Trades, for the most part, are supposed to help both sides of the deal. But, after the mid-season trade for Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets went in completely opposite directions. The Knicks lost to Orlando Magic, dropping them below .500. On the other side, the Nuggets were able to rise to 43-29 after the trade. This brings up an important question. Were the Knicks smart in trading for Carmelo?

The Knicks believe themselves to be a dominant force, since the Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are together. They are the leading shooters on the Knicks. However, the team needs to get adjusted to playing with Anthony. Many people believe that the Knicks took a huge risk in trading for Anthony. Trading players mid-season is a risky, but Donnie Walsh was thinking about the Knicks future. Walsh was quoted, in an NBC Sports article, as saying, “I take more responsibility than the players or the coaches because I made a monumental trade in the middle of the season, and it appears to me they’re having a hard time getting together, which is understandable,” Walsh said "That's why I don’t like to do it in the middle of the season,” Walsh added. “We gave up a lot. We got back a lot. But I do think this trade is going to make us better in the future. In the long run, this trade will make us a better franchise.” The Nuggets are prospering now, but will that continue next season? 
Walsh is ensuring the Knicks prosperity farther in the future. Next season, when the Knicks' players improve their chemistry, they will be the dominant force they believe themselves to be. Trading for Carmelo Anthony was a great investment for the Knicks.

Little Man in a Big Man's Game

Spud Webb against Manute Bol / Vedia - Flickr

Spud Webb, former Atlanta Hawks' player, was the most unexpected NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner in the history of the NBA. With a 42 inch leap, he managed to beat his team mate Dominique Wilkins in the 1986 contest in Dallas Texas with two perfect 50-point scores in the final round. "I brought back dunks I haven't used since high school," said Webb in a Dallas News interview. His arsenal of dunks included elevator two-handed double pump dunk, the one-handed off the backboard one-handed jam, a 360-degree helicopter one-handed dunk, a 180-degree reverse double-pump slam, and finally, the 180-degree reverse two-handed strawberry jam with a bounce off of the floor. Webb's small hands and inability to palm the ball did not hinder his performance. It just made him work harder, adding alley-oops or a bounce to each dunk. Winning the Slam Dunk contest was the crowning achievement of his 12 year career.

Webb is currently the third shortest person to ever compete in the NBA, behind Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues and Earl Boykins, and the shortest to ever play in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He later trained New York Knicks 5'9" point guard, Nate Robinson, who eventually won three Slam Dunk Contests. Webb also was a judge for the 2010 Dunk contest in Dallas. It was the first time the event has been in Dallas since his win in 1986. Webb enjoyed his stardom of being and coaching a small man in a big man's game.