The Knicks have been among the NBA’s premier struggling franchises for what feels like forever, but in reality it’s been two decades, as the slide began 20 years ago this week when Patrick Ewing was traded to the Seattle Supersonics.
The four-team, 12-player deal was announced Sept. 21, 2000, and it sent the Knicks into a tailspin from which they haven’t yet recovered. In total, for the 15 seasons Ewing played on the Knicks, the team was 138 games over .500 (668-530), reaching the playoffs 13 straight times starting in 1987-88. In the 20 seasons since Ewing was traded, the team is a collective 322 games under .