New York Knicks Trade Vince Carter Poster For Patrick Ewing

The New York Knicks traded, arguably, the worst draft pick in their history to Houston for the son of Patrick Ewing.

The younger version looks just like his dad but lacks the skills of his father. He has great athleticism, but lacks the intangibles to become a major contributor in the NBA. He will probably get cut after training camp.

But for just a couple weeks, it will be nice to see a No. 33 Ewing jersey running up and down the floor at the Garden.

You would think the son of a legend could fetch a price. In this case, the Rockets landed a goldfish in a sea of bass. They get Ewing’s contract off the books and will obviously have nothing to worry about in terms of Fredric Weis coming across the ocean to mess up their plan. Tracy McGrady has enough posters of his own.

For the Knicks front office, it is a switch of philosophy. They actually made a move for the fans. They traded away a mistake instead of bringing one in.

Weis was the middle man in a six-year run of draft failure for the Knicks which ultimately was a huge factor in their collapse since the turn of the century.

The Knicks drafted 12 players during that time. The only one to make an impact scored nine points and four rebounds a game in his best season.

1996 

The Knicks had three first round picks at No. 18, 19, and 21. A great draft here could have created the next great core of players in New York. Instead, they took John Wallace, Walter McCarty, and Dontae’ Jones.

Cleveland had the 20th pick in that draft. They took Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Vancouver had the 22nd pick. They took Roy Rodgers. The Lakers had the 24th pick. They took a small PG out of Arkansas-Little Rock. Enter Derek Fisher.

Notes

Milwaukee traded the rights to Stephon Marbury to the Timberwolves for Ray Allen. Also, Charlotte traded the draft rights to Kobe Bryant to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. If that trade never happens, the Hornets might still be in Charlotte today.

1997

The Knicks had the 25th pick in that draft. They took John Thomas. He is best known for being called while working in an office to help the Nets in the playoffs. Utah picked two spots later. They grabbed Jacque Vaughn.

Notes

This marked the beginning of the Tim Duncan dynasty.

1998

The Knicks had a couple of second round choices this time. They took DeMarco Johnson and Sean Marks. At least Marks is still in the league. He is the only one of the 12 picks that is still on a roster. The pick after Johnson: Rafer Alston. Two picks later: Cuttino Mobley.

Notes

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