The New York Knicks and the Savior Complex

Fans of New York’s basketball team are craving a big trade to jump-start their contention for titles, but is this thirst for a messiah misguided?

The New York Knicks in the last 40 years can be categorized as a team that strived for an A-grade but has perpetually lived in B+ territory. In 1985, the team won the draft lottery and drafted Patrick Ewing. But as great as Patrick was, he was not Michael Jordan. In the 2000s, the team made deep playoff runs with Larry Johnson and Allan Houston. And as talented as they were, they were not good enough to compete with the last years of Jordan and eventually the budding dynasty in Los Angeles with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. And when the team got another superstar after the Ewing era in Carmelo Anthony, he ultimately was not LeBron James and the team was just not good enough yet again.

On top of this, the Knicks are often linked with superstar trades since they play in such a large market. When they miss out on these players the narrative that New York cannot obtain the big-name player intensifies. This constant sense of failure in obtaining high-level talent has created a dynamic within the Knicks fan base with built-in pressures on anyone that runs the organization. The Knicks are now a team and fan base that feels it needs a savior, seeking a trade for a player that can transform the franchise…