The Knicks’ season begins tomorrow. We couldn’t possibly be more excited — finally, a Knicks team with barely an Isiah Thomas fingerprint on it! — so we’ve been counting down the eleven most important Knicks twice a week until opening night on October 27. The best sign we can give you: Eddy Curry isn’t among the eleven. Today: point power forward Amar’e Stoudemire.
Obviously, we’ve already written plenty about Amar’e Stoudemire and what he means for the New York Knicks — the franchise and the fan base — and how important it is that he’s here. So we’re not gonna wax rhapsodic. We thought, instead, we would try to take what Amar’e has accomplished in the NBA already and put it in the context of Knicks history. So: ten facts.
1. According to Basketball Reference, Amar’e is responsible for two of the 100 best offensive seasons in NBA history. Using their Offensive Win Shares metric, Amar’e comes in 76th (2004-05) and 91st (2007-08). Only one Knick has ever had a higher Offensive Win Shares number in franchise history: Kenny Sears in 1958-59. The second-highest Knick season ever? Stephon Marbury, at 118th, in 2004-05.
2. Last year — in a season that was not among the top 100 offensive seasons of all time — Amar’e averaged 23.1 points per game. No Knick has averaged that many points in a season since Patrick Ewing averaged 23.9 in the 1994-95 season.
3. Here are the leading scorers for the Knicks each season since Ewing’s season, with their average points per game:
2009-10: David Lee, 20.2
2008-09: Al Harrington, 20.7
2007-08: Jamal Crawford, 20.6
2006-07: Eddy Curry, 19.5
2005-06: Stephon Marbury, 16.3
2004-05: Stephon Marbury, 21.7
2003-04: Stephon Marbury, 19.8
2002-03: Allan Houston, 22.5
2001-02: Allan Houston, 20.4
2000-01: Allan Houston, 18.7
1999-00: Allan Houston, 19.7
1998-99: Patrick Ewing, 17.3
1997-98: Patrick Ewing, 20.8
1996-97: Patrick Ewing, 22.4
1995-96: Patrick Ewing, 22.5
1994-95: Patrick Ewing, 23.9
4. Despite all his injuries, Stoudemire has scored 11,035 points in his eight-year career. That would be good, right now, for fifth on the all-time Knicks scoring list, only 130 points behind Houston. who played for the Knicks for nine seasons.
5. Stoudemire has played 52 playoff games in his career and averaged 24.2 points a game and 9.2 rebounds, both substantially over his career averages.
6. The last playoff game the Knicks won was an April 29, 2001, 97-89 win over the Toronto Raptors. On that day, current Knick Anthony Randolph, the youngest player currently on the roster, was 11 years old. Stoudemire was 18.
7. Stoudemire has played in as many All-Star games — five — as the Knicks have in the last fifteen years. Since 1996, Allan Houston has played in two, and Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing, and David Lee have played in one.
8. Here are the last four men to wear Stoudemire’s number, No. 1, as Knicks: Chris Childs, Anfernee Hardaway, Steve Francis, and Chris Duhon.
9. The following men led the Knicks in points for one game at some point last season: Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas, Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari, Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries, David Lee, Tracy McGrady, Nate Robinson, and Bill Walker. The following men led the Suns in points for one game at some point last season: Leandro Barbosa, Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley, Channing Frye, Robin Lopez, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, and Amar’e Stoudemire (50 times).
10. Amar’e Stoudemire plays for the Knicks now. He’s the best player they’ve had since Ewing. Every point he scores for the next five years, he does for the Knicks. When you look back at the last decade at the Garden, it’s really quite amazing.
Earlier:
No. 2 Danilo Gallinari
No. 3 Raymond Felton
No. 4 Anthony Randolph
No. 5 Wilson Chandler
No. 6 Kelenna Azubuike
No. 7 Ronny Turiaf
No. 8 Toney Douglas
No. 9 Roger Mason Jr.
No. 10 Timofey Mozgov
No. 11 Bill Walker