slovene knick:
When I first started my affair with the Knicks in the early 90?s I think they were all black.

The 91-92 team (the first one I followed closely) had Kiki Vandeweghe and Brian Quinnett, plus Tim McCormick’s Expiring Contract. Quinnett was traded for James Donaldson at mid-season, Kiki and McCormick’s contracts came off the books, and then the following season Eric Anderson was the last man on the bench. Anderson was also on the roster in 93-94, but as noted, wasn’t on the playoff roster. Over the next few years, the team dabbled in various big clumsy white guys on the end of the bench (Greg Kite, Matt Fish). We had Scotty Brooks on the bench briefly in 96-97, but the first white guy to contribute notably to the roster since Kiki was Chris Dudley starting in 97-98, and the first white player to start regularly since Kiki was Keith Van Horn for part of the 03-04 season. And, of course, more recent seasons gave us David Lee and Il Gallo.

And that’s your “white Knicks basketball history minute” for today.

Back then I considered all black team as an advantage.
But to be fair I also needed years of playing and watching/reading basketball to throw away prejudice over race in basketball – thinking that we – white people just can’t play basketball or that every black player is a good player.

For me now there are just good and bad players. And the Knicks look like they have been choosing their players prejudice free lately.

Imagine what the black players had to deal with in the 50′s and 60′s. I never would have had the fortitude to deal it.
Bill Simmons’ book gives this a good look.

Although, does anyone else recall the fairly recent complaints about the Mets, under Minaya, being “too Latin?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE-oN97dwXg&list=UUblvMb6L8TlXejzF7ib1ChQ&index=1&feature=plcp

daJudge:
Sometimes forward thought requires simplicity, risk and freedom.

Couldn’t agree more.

I remember reading about it in the Times the day after the game and not thinking it was a big deal. I never realized there could be players on a team for less than purely basketball reasons. Sad to think what could have been for so many athletes. Good that it was NYK to break the barrier.