Banners hang in the Garden rafters honoring Patrick Ewing #33, Bill Bradley #24, Red Holzman #613, Dave DeBrusschere #22, and Willis Reed #19 of the New York Knicks.NBAE via Getty Images NBAE via Getty Images
It has been, remarkably, 23 years since the last Knicks jersey was retired at Madison Square Garden.
Since James Dolan took over these types of decisions, No. 33 is also the only Knicks number retired, a no-brainer for Patrick Ewing, the franchise’s all-time leader in points, games, minutes, rebounds and blocked shots.
The standard is high in the Garden rafters, at least when it comes to the Knicks. The NBA Cup wasn’t prestigious enough to get a banner until Tuesday, nearly a full year after the Knicks won Adam Silver’s beloved tournament. Bernard King, John Starks and Carmelo Anthony aren’t up there. If Melo’s jersey is retired, the bar is lowered and there should be calls for retroactive enshrinements. But Melo’s not up there. Thankfully. He had great moments but is not deserving of a retired jersey. It’s only No. 33 for Ewing, No. 15 for Dick McGuire and a lot of champions — the combined starting lineups of 1970 and 1973, plus the coach.