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Whatever Happened To The 1987-88 Knicks?
The 1987-88 Knicks kicked off the current streak of 14 straight post-season appearances.
George Kalinsky for Madison Square Garden
They had no idea what they started, of course. Back then, 14 years ago, they were a young, inexperienced team with a driven, aggressive coach, an emerging All-Star at center and a rookie sensation at point guard. And when the season was over, by virtue of a two-point win in the very last game, they had earned the post-season spot no one thought they could. . . the Knicks’ first Playoff berth in four years.
But what the 1987-88 Knicks really did was awaken the slumbering giant that had been Big Apple basketball for a good part of the ‘80s, and turn New York irrevocably into a Knicks town again. After three seasons of 24, 23 and 24 wins, post-season basketball was back at the Garden.
And it was back to stay, because the 1987-88 team kicked off the Knicks’ current streak of 14 straight post-season berths, the longest sustained stretch of success in club history – almost twice as long as the fabled team of the ‘70s – and among the Top Ten post-season streaks in NBA annals.
RICK PITINO (Head Coach) After ending the Knicks’ playoff drought in 1988 and leading New York to the Atlantic Division title the following season, Pitino abruptly left the Knicks in 1989 to return to college ball as head coach at the University of Kentucky. Climaxing his Kentucky tenure with an NCAA title in 1996, Rick came back to the NBA the following year as president and head coach of the Boston Celtics. He resigned from the Celtics in Jan 2001, took over as head coach at the University of Louisville soon after, and this year led the Cardinals into the NIT.
JIM O’BRIEN (Assistant Coach) “Obie” departed the Knicks in 1989 to become head coach at the University of Dayton, then hooked up with Pitino as an assistant coach at Kentucky and then with the Boston Celtics. He succeeded Pitino as Celtics head coach on Jan 8, 2001, and his work with the resurgent Celtics this season has made him a candidate for NBA Coach of the Year honors.
STU JACKSON (Assistant Coach) After assisting Pitino at Providence, Jackson joined the Knicks staff for the 1987-88 season. He succeeded Pitino as head coach in July 1989 and led the Knicks to one of their most storied victories: the Game Five Playoff triumph at Boston Garden in 1990. Following his Knicks career, Stu became the head coach at the University of Wisconsin, then took over the fledgling Vancouver Grizzlies in 1994 as vice president and general manager. He’s currently in his second season as the NBA’s senior VP of basketball operations.
BRENDAN MALONE (Assistant Coach) One of the NBA’s most respected coaches for almost two decades, Brendan’s career has included a stint as the first-ever head coach of the Toronto Raptors, as well as a return to the Knicks in 1996. Today, he’s Isiah Thomas’ first lieutenant with the Indiana Pacers. His son Michael is the Knicks’ coaching associate.
RALPH WILLARD (Scout) Another longtime Pitino aide, Willard was promoted to assistant coach in 1988-89, then embarked on a college coaching career. Today, he’s the head man at Holy Cross, leading the Crusaders into the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
3 — RICK CARLISLE, F After three years with Boston – during which he was a member of the Celtics’ 1986 World Championship team – Rick signed with the Knicks as a free agent in November 1987 and appeared in 26 games that season. When his playing career ended in New Jersey in 1990, he was immediately signed as a Nets assistant coach. Eleven years later – after coaching stops in Portland and Indiana and a broadcasting stint in Seattle – Rick got his first head coaching job, taking over the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons in the thick of the East race, Rick is another candidate for NBA Coach of the Year honors.
42 — PAT CUMMINGS, F-C The rugged frontliner played four seasons with the Knicks, the centerpiece of a 12-year NBA career that also took him to Milwaukee, Dallas, Miami (as a member of the original 1988-89 Heat) and Utah. Pat lives in Cincinnati, where he was a collegiate star for the Bearcats.
25 — BILL CARTWRIGHT, C The 1987-88 season was the last of Mr. Bill’s eight seasons in New York. In June 1988, he was traded to Chicago in the deal that brought Charles Oakley to the Knicks. In a 16-year playing career, Cartwright won three NBA Championship rings with the Bulls, then won two more as a Bulls assistant coach. Earlier this season, Mr. Bill succeeded Tim Floyd as the Bulls’ head coach, and was recently rewarded with a multi-year contract extension.
1 — BILLY DONOVAN, G After starring on Providence’s Final Four team in 1987, Billy The Kid was brought in by his college coach, Rick Pitino, for a 44-game stint with the 1987-88 Knicks. That was the sum total of his NBA career. . . and the stepping stone to a successful coaching tenure. Just completing his sixth year as the head coach at the University of Florida, Billy has led the Gators to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (including 2002). He’s one of just six men to participate in the NCAA Final Four both as a player (1987) and head coach (2002).
33 — PATRICK EWING, C After a 15-year Knicks career which stamped him as an 11-time All-Star, one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and arguably the greatest Knick of all time, Ewing bade farewell to the Big Apple when was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in September 2000. After a year in Seattle, The Big Fella is now in his first season with the Orlando Magic. . .his 17th overall NBA campaign.
44 — SIDNEY GREEN, F Acquired on the eve of the season opener, Sidney averaged 7.0 rpg as a starter in 1987-88, the first of his two Knicks seasons. After a 10-year, six-team NBA career – during which he was the first-ever expansion draft pick of the Orlando Magic – the Brooklyn native turned to college coaching. After stints at LIU-Southampton and North Florida, Green was named head coach at Florida Atlantic in 1999. . .and this season led the Owls to the Atlantic Sun Conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
13 — MARK JACKSON, G His 1987-88 Rookie of the Year campaign was the springboard for a career that would rank Mark among the greatest playmakers in NBA history, earning him fourth place on the NBA’s All-Time assist list. After five seasons in New York (including an All-Star selection in 1989) and stops in Los Angeles, Indiana, Denver and Toronto, Mark returned to his native Big Apple in the stunning Feb 2001 trade with the Raptors.
4 — JOHNNY NEWMAN, G-F Versatile and popular J. New was signed as a free agent by the Knicks in November 1987, days after being waived by Cleveland. Fifteen years and five teams later, he’s in his 16th NBA season as a key member of Don Nelson’s Dallas Mavericks.
55 — LOUIS ORR, F Louie’s eight-year, injury-shortened NBA career ended with the 1987-88 Knicks, and he turned to coaching a few years later, starting as a volunteer assistant at Syracuse, his alma mater. A decade later, he’s just completed his first season as the head coach at Seton Hall University.
23 — BOB THORNTON, F Bob played parts of eight seasons in the NBA, including a 2½-year stint as a Knick. After dabbling in broadcasting, he returned to the NBA fold this season as the head coach of the Huntsville Flight of the NBDL.
11 — SEDRIC TONEY, G Signed in mid-season as Mark Jackson’s backup, Sedric averaged 2.7 ppg in 21 games in 1987-88. After his five-year NBA career ended in ’94, he embarked on a new career as a scout for the newly-minted Vancouver Grizzlies. Sedric’s Big Apple career came full circle when he returned to the Knicks as director of player personnel in November 1999.
6 — TRENT TUCKER, G Following nine Knicks seasons during which he became one of the greatest long-distance artists in team history, Doc’s NBA career ended with a championship ring as a member of the 1992-93 Chicago Bulls. He immediately embarked on a decade-long broadcasting career which included a stint as TV analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Trent is still third on the Knicks’ all-time list in three-point FG (504).
21 — GERALD WILKINS, G The explosive Doug E. Fresh averaged 17.4 ppg in 1987-88 and 14.9 ppg over his seven-year Knicks tenure. His 14-year NBA career ended with stops in Cleveland, Vancouver and finally Orlando. One-half of perhaps the most potent brother act in NBA history – along with his brother Dominique – Gerald lives in his native Atlanta. His son Damien, considered one of the top college prospects in the nation, will resume his collegiate playing career next year at Georgia following two years at North Carolina State.
34 — KENNY WALKER, F Sky’s five seasons as a Knick were highlighted by the key defensive play of 1987-88 – his block on Steve Stipanovich’s last-second shot in the regular season finale that vaulted New York into the Playoffs – and his stirring victory in the 1989 All-Star Slam Dunk competition in Houston, just days after the death of his father. Kenny returned to Kentucky, the scene of his college triumphs, after his NBA career ended in ’95. Today he’s a representative for a sports publishing company as well as a radio talk show host on the Wildcats’ football and basketball networks.
AL BIANCHI (Vice President and General Manager) A pro basketball “lifer” as player, coach and executive for more than four decades, Al returned to the Phoenix Suns as a college scout in 1991. After a decade as the Suns’ primary Western scout, Al returned to the bench earlier this year when he was named assistant coach under new Phoenix headmaster Frank Johnson.
HAL CHILDS (Director of Administration) Following a five-decade career in sports administration – which included stints with the expansion Seattle Mariners and the 1975 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors -- Hal and his wife Jacque live in golf-filled retirement in California.
DICK McGUIRE (Director of Scouting Services) Now in his 45th season with the Knickerbockers – as player, coach and scout -- the man who personifies the orange and blue is in his 15th year in his current position, after 20 years as chief scout. Dickie’s legendary hoop career was climaxed in 1993 with his long-overdue election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
MIKE SAUNDERS (Trainer) Mike was already a Knicks veteran in 1987-88, as it marked his tenth season with the team. Now the longest-tenured trainer in franchise history, Saunders is completing his 24th season on the Knicks bench, and only Indiana’s David Craig (32 years) has a longer head training tenure with his current team than Mike.
TIM WALSH (Assistant Trainer) After 13 years as the Knicks’ assistant trainer, Tim left the Knicks in 1997 to become the head trainer of the Orlando Magic. Following three years in Orlando, the New Jersey native returned to the Garden State in 2000 when he was named head trainer of the Nets.
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