The Knicks missed a big opportunity to land a key NBA All-Star in 2004.
James Dolan was always going after star players to acquire for the New York Knicks. However, there was one who got away that the team owner regrets not pursuing further.
Dolan appeared as a special guest on an episode of The Roommates Podcast on Thursday. He revealed that player to be Vince Carter, who was forcing his way out of the Toronto Raptors during the 2004-05 season. The owner said the trade was in the works but fell through due to medical concerns.
“Vince Carter was a great example right. We were going to do the trade and the medical team came back and told us that he had a 90% severed Achilles tendon and that it would never hold up and once it ruptured he would never be the same player and for that reason we didn’t do the trade. Vince Carter went on to have 5, 6, 7 years of, I kept waiting for his Achilles tendon to break, and it never broke,” Dolan said.
The rival Nets ended up making the trade for Carter, where he averaged 23.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 4.7 APG. Not only that, but he ended up playing 22 seasons in the NBA as well as 8X All-Star and just recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
What's next for James Dolan, Knicks
It is certainly a tough ordeal for James Dolan to go through, especially after missing the opportunity to bring Vince Carter to the Big Apple and have him represent the Knicks. Nonetheless, that's in the past as the owner has emphasized the initiative to elevate the team into title contention.
Since the NBA All-Star break, the Knicks are 6-5. They are averaging 111 points on 45.5% shooting from the field, including 33.9% from beyond the arc. However, opponents are outscoring them by three points per contest, indicating some ups and downs since the break.
New York has a 42-23 record on the season, holding the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are 8.5 games behind the Boston Celtics and 13 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coming off of consecutive wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, the Knicks will prepare for their next road matchup. They face the Golden State Warriors on March 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
