Top 75 Knicks of All-Time - Ranked

With Carmelo Anthony announcing his retirement on Monday, there's been a lot of talk about where Melo ranks among all players to have donned a Knickerbockers uniform. 

Well, the 2021-22 season marked the 75th anniversary of the Knicks franchise, and last summer, I ranked the best 75 players over the first 75 years of the team's storied history. 

I broke up the posts into several segments and never compiled them all in one place. So, I'm going to correct that now. (Yes, I have Melo lower than most). 

Without further adieu…

1. Patrick Ewing:

I dedicated 2,000+ words explaining why I regard The Big Fella as the greatest player in franchise history (and the most underappreciated sports star in New York):
https://tommybeer.substack.com/p/patrick-ewing-is-the-greatest-knick

2. Walt "Clyde" Frazier

Willis Reed scored the first four points in the Knicks' legendary Game 7 victory over the Lakers, but Frazier did just about everything else that night. He poured in 36 points, dished out 19 assists, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded five steals. Read that last sentence again. Walt Frazier did all that in the single most important game in New York basketball history. Clyde is a living legend in the truest sense of the word. 

Frazier is the Knicks franchise's all-time leader in assists. And not only did he average over 20 points per game six times in his career, but he was also an excellent rebounder for a guard, averaging at least six rebounds per game in six straight seasons. Over a six-year stretch from 1970 through 1976, Clyde averaged 21.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest.

3. Willis Reed

Reed was a stud right out of the gate. He finished his rookie season averaging 19.5 points (seventh in the NBA) and 14.7 rebounds per game (ranking fifth) en route to being the first Knick to be named NBA Rookie of the Year. In March of that season, he poured in 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the second-highest single-game total ever by a Knicks rookie.

In 1969-70, the Knicks won 14 of their first 15 games to start the year and went on to notch 60 regular-season victories for the first time in franchise history, including a then-record 18-game winning streak. Reed averaged a career-high 21.7 points that season, taking home MVP honors at the 1970 All-Star Game and being named the league's Most Valuable Player. After surviving a seven-game scare from the Baltimore Bullets in the first round of the playoffs and then knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks, New York advanced to the Finals to take on a stacked Lakers squad featuring Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.

Reed is the author of some of the greatest moments in franchise history, none more memorable than him limping out of the tunnel in the old MSG at approximately 7:34 pm on May 8th, 1970, fifteen minutes before the start of Game 7 vs. the Lakers. Willis scored the first two buckets of the contest, and the Knicks never looked back, recording an epic 113-99 victory and capturing the first title in franchise history. The same core of Knicks would lead New York to another 'chip in 1973

Reed wasn't as flashy as Clyde, but he was the heart and soul of those championship teams. "The Captain" was selected Finals MVP both years the Knicks captured the crown. Reed retired in 1974, and two years later, his No. 19 was raised to the rafters, as he became the first Knicks player to have his uniform number retired.

4. Dave DeBusschere

In my opinion, DeBusschere is rarely given the respect he deserves when it comes to his place among the pantheon of all-time Knicks greats. It was the trade for DeBusschere (on December 19, 1968, the Knicks acquired him from the Pistons in exchange for center Walt Bellamy and guard Howard Komives) that transformed the Knicks from a very good team into a legitimate title contender. (New York head coach Red Holzman called DeBusschere the Knicks' "Holy Grail.") A gritty, underrated star on New York's two title teams, DeBusschere was the final piece of the championship puzzle. 

Not only was DeBusschere a consistent, reliable scorer and terrific rebounder (he averaged over 16 points and 11 rebounds per game in his 13-year career), but he was also an elite, versatile defender. Remarkably, DeBusschere was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in each of the award's first six years of existence from 1968-69 thru 1973-74. (Remarkably, at least two Knicks were named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team each of those six seasons). The only forwards in history with more All-Defensive First Team appearances are Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. DeBusschere made eight All-Star games, was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

5. Richie Guerin

Guerin, who grew up in the Bronx, served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1947 to 1954. While a reservist, he attended Iona College and established himself as one of the best collegiate players in the country. The Knicks selected Guerin with the 8th pick in the second round of the 1954 NBA draft, but he wouldn't make his NBA debut until 1956. After graduation, Guerin served two years on active duty at Marine Corps School in Quantico, Virginia. 

The Knicks were often not very good during Guerin's tenure with the Knicks, but Guerin was great. He is one of only two Knicks in franchise history to average over 29 points per game for an entire season, pouring in 29.5 points in 1961-62. But Guerin wasn't just a scorer. In that aforementioned 1961-62 campaign, he also averaged 6.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists. Per BasketballReference.com, Guerin is one of only four players in NBA history to average at least 29.5 points, 6.5 assists and six rebounds over the course of an entire season. The other three players in that elite club are Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. During his prime, from 1957-58 through 1961-62, Guerin averaged 7.2 rebounds and six assists per game. He played in six consecutive NBA All-Star Games. His individual game career-highs of 57 points and 21 assists stood as franchise records for more than 50 years. He was traded to the St. Louis Hawks in 1964 and spent the next eight years as the team's player-coach and then head coach.