Since Patrick it has been
The Knicks are due. We’ve been saying that for a few years now but, eventually, a big break of the Ping Pong balls will help alleviate the excess of awful decisions during James Dolan’s ownership. Since that Frozen Envelope conspiracy 33 years ago (the same number as Patrick Ewing’s jersey, omen!), they’ve failed to move up in any draft lottery and, subsequently, failed to land a top-3 pick. The Knicks are one of the worst NBA franchises of this millennium — if not THE worst — and have nothing but agony and Kristaps Porzingis on one knee to show for it.
Maybe they just need a change of scenery. For the first time Tuesday, the draft lottery will be held outside of New York or New Jersey. It’s in Chicago — the city responsible for so much of the Knicks’ torment because of Michael Jordan — and the big prizes are DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley or Luka Doncic.
“I’m a little more superstitious about my daily routine leading up to a big event like the lottery,” said GM Scott Perry, who will represent the Knicks on the dais. “I’ll make sure to get a good morning workout in followed by a few quiet moments of visualization in my room, which will help with any nervous energy. I don’t have any lucky charms but I’m considering wearing a tie being sent to me by a friend.”
The odds are long (just a 6.1 percent chance of the Knicks moving into the top-3, and a 1.7 percent chance of landing No. 1 overall), so using a first (legal) sporting bet on them is not advisable. But like we said, the Knicks have bucked worse odds by never moving up since 1985. Perry was more successful in his previous jobs at Orlando and Sacramento, where he moved up three times in the lottery. Tuesday will be the second time he sat on the dais, doing it previously with the Pistons in 2010 (they stayed pat at No. 7).
Perry and Steve Mills has talked a lot lately about “doing it the right way” and building “a sustainable winner,” but luck is as big a factor as any toward NBA success. And the Knicks have had none in the draft lottery. Here’s a look back at their depressing history: