Unable To Play Without Pain, Houston Calls It Quits

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The New York Sun

In a move that was about as surprising as Isiah Thomas overpaying a free agent, Knicks guard Allan Houston announced his long-expected retirement yesterday. The immediate implications for New York were minimal, because it wasn’t counting on anything from Houston anyway – not after he limped through 20 games last season in obvious pain.


But in the big picture, an interesting question is where Houston ranks among the great Knicks. Currently, only nine players have their jerseys hanging in the rafters at Madison Square Garden: Walt Frazier, Dick Barnett, Earl Monroe, Dick McGuire, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Patrick Ewing, and Red Holzman. (In Holzman’s case, the “number” is for the number of games he won as a coach – making New York the world’s only professional sports team to retire the number 613.)


Should we make room for a 10th jersey by adding Houston to that list? His Knicks career is generally viewed as a mild disappointment, but he stacks up surprisingly well against the competition. Houston played nine seasons as a Knick – as many as most of his peers. DeBusscherre spent only six seasons on Broadway, while Barnett played eight; Frazier, Reed, and Bradley played 10.


The comparison to Barnett is particularly intriguing. Like Houston, Barnett was a shooting guard known for a gorgeous mid-range jumper, contributed little in the way of rebounds and assists, and had one monster scoring year (23.1 for Barnett in 1965-66, 22.5 in 2002-03 for Houston). While Barnett didn’t have the benefit of the 3-point shot to pad his stats, Houston’s scoring numbers are superior when one considers that the game was much higher-scoring in Barnett’s era.


It may also surprise people to learn that Houston’s numbers compare favorably with Monroe’s as a Knick. The Pearl had the same number of All-Star selections and 20-point seasons, but the key difference was that Houston was a much more efficient scorer. Monroe’s shooting percentage resided in the 40s in an era when teams normally shot better.


Granted, Houston’s shooting percentage was lower, but he spiked it with 40% shooting on 3-pointers, rarely turned the ball over, and was much more adept at getting to the free throw line.(If it seems like I’m shafting Monroe here, well, he happens to be one of the most overrated players of all time. We’ll save the rest of that conversation for another day.) While the Pearl had a better nickname and made the Hall of Fame by basking in the glow of the hallowed 1973 championship, Houston was more productive in his time at the Garden.


In fact, that’s the one item glaringly missing from Houston’s legacy. His team made the Finals once and was quickly eviscerated in five games by a superior San Antonio team. They subsequently reached the conference Finals on one other occasion. That doesn’t compare with any of the players who already have been honored – seven of the nine won a title, McGuire got his team to the Finals three straight years, and even Ewing made the Finals twice (in addition to being a vastly superior player).


But how much of that should be held against Houston? Was it his fault that Scott Layden didn’t know a player from


an omelette, or that Jeff Van Gundy bailed and was replaced by substitute teacher Don Chaney? Wouldn’t those Knicks of the early ’70s still merit a place in the rafters even if Reed hadn’t led them to the promised land?


In fact, if there’s a case to be made against Houston, it’s that we shouldn’t compare him to the players whose numbers already are retired, but to those whose aren’t. First and foremost is Charles Oakley, who was a Knick for a year longer than Houston and enjoyed much more team success. Oakley barely averaged double figures in his best seasons, so he certainly doesn’t match Houston in terms of scoring, but he was a two time All-Defense selection whose intensity and strength made him the linchpin of perhaps the best defensive team of all time. He was a crowd favorite too, which certainly doesn’t hurt.


Then there’s Bernard King, who played only four seasons as a Knick and just six games in the fourth, but man, those other three years were unbelievable. King led the NBA in scoring in 1984-85 at a ridiculous 32.9 points per game, made two All-Star teams, and led the Knicks’ lone mini-renaissance in a miserable 15-year stretch between Reed’s teams and Ewing’s.


And if you want to go old school, there’s Richie Guerin, who made six All-Star teams in his seven seasons in New York from 1956-57 to 1962-63, but mysteriously has never been honored.


Overall, it wouldn’t be outlandish to suggest that Houston deserves his place among the Knicks’ honorees. However, he probably has to wait a while. McGuire had to wait nearly 40 years before his jersey was raised, and even De-Busscherre went nearly a decade. But at some point, years into the future, when the jerseys of King and Oakley have been hoisted to the Garden’s ceiling, New York should consider putting Houston’s no. 20 up there with them.


Mr. Hollinger is the author of the 2005-06 Pro Basketball Forecast.


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