Well technically, the answer to that question is "no".
The dubious distinction for "worst team ever" belongs (and might
always belong) to the 1972-73 Philadelphia
76ers. I actually decided to do a little research for
this before I started putting pixel to screen, and went back and checked
through the whole story of the '72-73 Sixers (since, you know, even I wasn't
around then). What I found was that although there were ownership
changes, coaching changes, GM changes, and an inexplicable trading of Wilt
Chamberlain for three "some guys" and a bag of basketballs; just
because the new owner didn't give Wilt a small part of the team like the old
owner had promised; the personalities involved weren't bitter. There
wasn't fighting, back-biting, or "look at me" wanna-be
superstars. It was a bunch of journeymen players without a competent
coach, and they just played bad basketball. In fact, this is the case
with some of the bad Mavericks and L.A. Clippers teams as well.
The New York Knicks -- the biggest Chicago Bulls rival throughout the '90s -- are another story entirely. Sure, some is
the same; the lack of direction in the front office, a terrible owner, a
terrible coaching staff; it's all part of it. But the Knicks are unique
in the fact that they have such bad personalities on their team. It's not
even the bad personality, most teams can sustain one; but when you have at
least seven, there's an issue there. It's very rare when you can see a
team visibly quit in the middle of the season and just stop trying, but with
the Knicks, after Christmas, it was jarring, and Knicks fans probably saw it
before then. You hear about it. You occasionally see it. But
it's never so blatant and as shocking as the Knicks in 2007-2008.
I think it's pretty telling that the Knicks' own website does a year-by-year
history of the Knicks, and it stops in 2000-2001. That was the year that
Patrick Ewing was traded to Seattle
in four-team, 12-player mega deal. On September
20, 2000, the Knicks sent Ewing to the
Sonics bringing Glen Rice, Luc Longley and Travis Knight to New
York. Ewing was past his
prime, certainly, but Glen Rice's prime had long since passed. Sure, that
was a one-sided trade, but the Knicks still had talent. Marcus Camby,
Latrell Spreewell, and Allan Houston's Contract, sorry, he was still just Allan
Houston then; along with coach Jeff Van Gundy was still enough to get to the
playoffs, losing in 5 games to Toronto
with Vince Carter (who still cared at that point) and Tracy McGrady. They
had the longest active sellout streak in the NBA at 391 games that year.
They were 30-11 at home. They had Larry Johnson and Charlie Ward's
respective knees coming back from injury and were set up to be contenders for
the next couple of seasons.
Soon, however, fortunes reversed due to the usual circumstances the Knicks
began their long, slow journey to the present day. After starting the 2001-02
season 10–9, the team was stunned on December 8th by the sudden resignation of
head coach Jeff Van Gundy. The team named longtime assistant Don Chaney as their
new head coach. Needless to say, he wasn't the strongest head coach
they'd ever had, and ended up with a 30–52 record. For the first time since the
1986–87 season, they did not qualify for the playoffs. During that
season, the Knicks attempted to improve by initiating a number of trades and
free agent signings. Among these included such illustrious superstars as
Shandon Anderson ($5.5 million) and Howard Eisley ($4.8 million) who joined the
team with those fantastically cap-friendly contracts. Matched up with the
will-it-ever-be-expiring contract of Larry "Grandmama" Johnson ($11.4
million), who was missing a knee at this point; and the
totally-not-overpaid-at-all Allan Houston's Expiring Contract (no, it
wasn't expiring yet, not even close) ($12.8 million), the Knicks were headed
for Salary Cap hell, and really didn't seem to care much about it.
Things went from bad to worse in 2002-03, and although the record was better
(37-45, pretty much giving them a worse lottery spot) the offseason moves were,
puzzling, to say the least. First was the simply dreadful trade of Marcus
Camby and the Knicks number five Lottery Pick (which ended up being Maybyner
Hilario, better known today as Nene) for the "fresh off the
career-threatening injury" Antonio McDyess ($12.6 million). McDyess
ended up making slightly less than $1.2 million a game played for the Knicks
over two seasons (or you could consider it close to $4 million per start for
all six of them) when he played just 18 games when he ... wait for it ... not
yet ... HURT HIS KNEE! The Knicks also signed much-maligned free agent
Latrell Spreewell, a year removed from choking out P.J. Carlissimo. While
he was a little overpaid ($12 million for 02-03), he actually was far from the
worst move the Knicks had made, although the PR hit was huge.
It got better a year later. I'm being facetious; it got far, far
worse. After a 15–24 start to the 2003–04 season, the Knicks cleaned
house, and Isiah Thomas was named the Knicks' president after the firing of
Scott Layden, and eventually replaced Don Cheney with Lenny Wilkens (all-time
losing-est and winning-est coach) behind the bench. At the same time, Thomas
orchestrated several trades, including deals that brought Penny Hardaway's Knee
($13.5 million), Vin Baker's active and untreated alcoholism ($13.5 million,
which helped to bail out the Celtics), Keith Van Horn (pre-ghost, $13.3
million), Tim Thomas (Isiah apparently wanted everyone with the last name of
Thomas on the team, $11.9 million, traded Keith Van Horn to Milwaukee for him),
"The Spoon" Clarence Weatherspoon ($5.5 million, about three years
past whatever prime he actually had), Kurt Thomas (I told you about the Thomas
thing, $5.4 million), the completely anonymous Nazr Mohammed ($5 million),
976-year-old Dikembe Methuselah, I mean, Mutumbo ($4 million), and for good
measure, another $3.6 million for Moochie Norris and his awesome afro.
The Knicks added nearly $80 million in additional payroll. This resulted
in exactly two more regular season wins over the year before (39-43), and a
sweep at the hands of the Nets in the first round. Just good enough to
get the 8th spot, resulting in no lottery. Oh yeah, I almost
forgot. They traded for Starbury ($13.5 million for 03-04, but watch this
space) in 03-04 as well.
2004-05 looked promising to start. They convinced Vin Baker to retire,
taking his contract off the books Van Horn was in Milwaukee,
and they brought in some (slightly) cheaper replacements in Maurice "Tractor"
Traylor ($8.5 million) and Jerome Williams ($6.2 million). They picked up
a scoring combo-guard in Jamal Crawford for a song ($5.3 million) and looked
like they at least had a direction. Well, it was a slow start, leading to
Lenny Wilkens leaving in the middle of the season, to be replaced by Patrick
Ewing's former backup Herb Williams. Maybe Ewing
should have been the coach? Regardless, this was yet another "just
good enough not to get a good lottery pick" team and finished 33-49.
Knicks fans were willing to hang in there though. There seemed to be
direction, and there seemed to be a goal. Knicks fans can be
patient. They can be very patient when you sign Larry Brown to a
five-year, $50 million contract in the off-season.
Brown brought an era of good feelings to the squad and on paper, and
offseason moves - getting Stevie Franchise ($15 million, there are a lot of
score-first point guards on this team all of a sudden), the Corpse of Antonio
Davis ($13.2 million), "Q" Quentin Richardson (thought to be a steal
at the time, $7 million) and the big gamble on Eddy Curry's Heart Condition
($7.5 million). There was the senseless signing of Jerome James (more
like Jerome Moiso, $5 million), but the draft (Channing Frye, David Lee,
Quyntel Woods, Trevor Ariza and Matt Barnes) would (as of today) be really
good. Larry Brown could coach them up, and he did ... to 23-59.
Turmoil, tumult and tragedy abounded as the Knicks played out every stereotype
of a malcontented basketball team, including, almost literally, fighting for
the basketball. Larry Brown said, "*expletive* this" and was
fired, eventually forcing an $18.4 million buyout of his contract.
This brings us to last season. The ridiculous dead money came off the
cap in 06-07 (Hardaway, etc.) and they signed used-to-be-go-to-guy Jalen Rose
($14.2 million) to lend a veteran presence to a relatively young team.
Isiah Thomas drafted Renaldo Balkman (boo) and Nate Robinson (yay), but
unfortunately let go or traded Woods, Ariza and Barnes, all of whom have gone
on the be contributors on other teams. The definitive moment (other than
maybe Thomas hiring himself as head coach) of the season was the Knicks-Nuggets
Brawl at Madison Square
Garden on December 16, 2006. It ended up being the most
penalized on-court fight in the NBA since the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl
(Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and SJax trying to kill people). The fight began with a
flagrant foul by the Knicks Mardy Collins on Denver's J. R. Smith in the
closing seconds of the game, when it appeared the Knicks; especially Der Kommissar
Isiah Thomas, became enraged by the Denver Nuggets "running up the
score" (Don't like it Isiah? Stop 'em). Denver,
despite having a comfortable lead, had their starters on the floor, but there
was still a little less than five minutes to go in the game. Thomas himself
also had apparently verbally warned Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony to not go into
the paint. The foul touched off the fight that ultimately led to the ejection
of all ten players on the court and suspensions to seven players. This
was almost a badge of honor of Thomas, or so he thought, and he led his troops
onward. Eventually, the team stopped caring, and the Knicks again
finished just good enough to not get a good Lottery pick, at 33-49.
During the 2007 offseason, the organization sunk to a new low. Anucha Browne
Sanders, a former Knicks executive, had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in
2006 against Isiah Thomas, James Dolan, and Madison Square Garden LP. On October 2, 2007, the jury returned a
verdict finding Thomas and Madison Square
Garden liable for sexual
harassment. The jury also levied $11.6 million in punitive damages against MSG.
The trial proved embarrassing for the Knicks, Thomas, and Marbury, revealing
sordid details about Knicks management and the environment at MSG. Somehow,
Thomas kept his job.
That brings us to this year, and what a year! At the draft, Thomas
traded Channing Frye and Stevie Franchise to the Portland Trailblazers
for Zach
Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau. With this one move, the former
"Jailblazers" dealt their last remaining malcontent to the Knicks (who
seem to be holding malcontents hostage. Maybe they're feeding them to
Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph?). The draft also featured the Knicks
selecting Wilson Chandler with the 23rd pick and later acquiring the
rights to
Demetris Nichols — the 53rd pick in the draft — from the Blazers.
Dickau was
traded to the Clippers for draft pick Jared Jordan. Jordan and Nichols
were both
released by the end of the preseason, leading to a mystifying series of
events,
but truly, par for the course at this point. The Knicks avoided a
60-loss
season, and currently stand at 23-58. Starbury literally just decided
he wasn't
going to games anymore because he was mad at his coach. Eventually,
the
$22 million man (Money owed for 07-08) declared he had an "injury"
and bailed on the rest of his season, but continues to collect his
paychecks. Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph look like they may have eaten
Clarence
Weatherspoon. The Knicks quit around January and have been playing as
such (with a few exceptions) ever since. Knicks fans are begging for
the
firing of Thomas, and the "Fire Isiah" chant has become popular for
the 2681 people who still pay money to watch that trainwreck at Madison
Square Garden.
My personal favorite Knicks moment this year was November 29, 2007. The Knicks, who at that point
led the league in trash talk, and that's about it, decided to taunt the Celtics
pre-game in Boston. These are
the Garnett, Pierce, and Allen Celtics, just so we're clear. The Knicks
talked trash. In Boston Garden.
Before the game. Loudly. Setting aside the fact that the Knicks
were still winless on the road, does that sound like a good idea to you?
What happened? Exactly what you thing happened. The Knicks were
handed one of their worst defeats in their history, with a final score
104–59. Boston led that game
by more than 50 through the bulk of the third and fourth quarters.
So is this the worst team ever? Knicks fans in all their sometimes
insane optimism think Donnie Walsh, longtime GM of the Pacers coming in will be
the savior. They fail to remember that this was the guy who gave Jamaal
Tinsley and Jermaine O'Neal a combined $30 million per year. And outside
of no-brainer pick Danny Granger; check out those Pacers drafts of the last few
years. Not necessarily a great track record. Starbury is holding
the team hostage, and all the great young talent Thomas drafted is now
gone. Make Thomas a scout or director of player personnel. He's
obviously not much of a coach, and he's a horrific GM, but the guy can draft
talent, Renaldo Balkman aside. Everyone makes mistakes. The bottom
line here is; I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. This team will
need to be blown up, and blown up for real this time; and they will have to
start from scratch and build like an expansion team. That's the only way
it's going to work. Knicks fans won't like it, and God knows David Stern
won't like it, but if you want it fixed, that's what you have to do. I
don't see it happening anytime soon.