I'm still in the mode of celebrating the 2025-2026 NBA Champions, the New York Knicks. It's still surreal to say that.
With that said, I find myself in deep reflection on the years, teams, and players that have gone by that have filled me with emotions. Part of that was the hope in specific Knicks players I thought would be THE guy.
Before there was Jalen Brunson - THE confirmed guy - in looking back, I held out so much hope for the players on this list.
For the sake of the list, this does not include Carmelo Anthony, Julius Randle, and Amar'e Stoudemire. In my opinion, these guys were clearly solid picks and reliable Knicks. All-Stars. All-NBA players.
With that disclaimer, here is my Pondering 10:
Honorable Mention:
Jeremy Lin
Because yes, he didn't quite make the list because Linsanity was all but two weeks that lasted forever. I don't think I ever thought Lin would be the guy, but it was easy to fall into the idea of him being a piece of a bigger puzzle. I was wrong on both fronts.
Nothing but love for J-Lin, though.
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10. Alonzo Trier
Oh yes. Iso-Zo. My guy never lasted long in the NBA. However - HOWEVER! - if you're a diehard Knicks fan and you saw Trier hoop, you instantly gravitated toward him. Get that man more playing time! Yo, he could be something!
Ahhhhh, we were so desperate.
9. Iman Shumpert
Shumpert lasted a few seasons in the league and even grabbed himself a ring alongside King James. But after drafting Shumpert and watching him with that insane bounce, athleticism, and defensive ability, hope set in - if he could just develop his jump shot!
8. Kevin Knox
Look, 2018 somehow sank even lower than the years before as a Knicks fan. Then we drafted Knox, and he absolutely tore it up in Summer League. Hope quickly rose around this guy. Then, it just never worked out. We will always have that Summer League.
7. Zach Randolph
I never thought acquiring Randolph to play alongside Eddy Curry made much sense from a basketball fit. But while I had hope in Eddy Curry (more on that in a few), I quickly realized Randolph was more of a sure thing. Unfortunately, we moved Young ZBo for cap space in pursuit of LeBron James. Yeah, that worked out.
6. David Lee
My dude. Loved David Lee. He was the guy who made you proud around this time. I'll never forget the tip-in (you know, before the now legendary tip-in from OG Anunoby) that I was in the Garden to witness. David Lee was the guy we knew had to move on, for his own sake. Because we loved him too much.
5. Danilo Gallinari
The Rooster drew comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. A tall, athletic, shooting big before these types became common. Gallo felt like a plus-piece to hope of being THE guy, to then realizing he could be a solid #2 alongside Amar'e Stoudemire. For that half of a season, he felt real. Then came the Melo trade, and we had to say goodbye.
What could've been for that team...
4. Eddy Curry
Yeahhhhhhhh. Curry gets such a bad wrap, especially when narratives become stronger than reality. For a stretch, it was clear to see what Isiah Thomas saw Curry blossoming into - a dominant big man that can help an inside-out offense. Curry was coming around, until he didn't.
We mortgaged the future for this dude. I wanted so badly for this to work out. And at times, I "hoped" myself into believing he would be.
3. Jamal Crawford
Still one of my all-time favorites. I'm still unsure how a backcourt of Crawford and Marbury didn't materialize. I saw the vision...
Crawford ended up being a solid player for many years. A dynamic 6th man.
2. Stephon Marbury
I was all about the Marbury (and Penny Hardaway) trade. At the time, he was still a dominant point guard, and of course, he was the New York kid coming home. He was the point guard we've been missing for a long time. I'll still defend Marbury as a Knick. It just ended terribly.
1. Kristaps Porzingis
And then there was this dude. The amount of HOPE placed on all of the potential for us to finally have our guy - THE guy - was wrapped up in Porzingis, until...the injury.
The day he was traded hurt, but many of us understood why.
Porzingis always felt like the next Knicks great to be. There were flashes of that uniqueness - seven foot two inches, who can move, run, and shoot it. Unicorn is what they called him.
Like the others, it never came to be. But for me, there was no thought or hope like Porzingis.