The New York Knicks are one of the most historic franchises in the NBA. With over seven decades of existence and over 40 playoff appearances, the team is bound to have had some pretty remarkable talent.
While players like Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier may come to mind first when you think of all-time greats, the team has also had its fair share of incredible small forwards.
I will be using position data presented on basketball-reference.com.
5. Latrell Sprewell
Already a three-time All-Star before he joined the Knicks via trade in 1999, Sprewell helped carry an eighth-seeded New York team to the NBA Finals in 1999. Despite losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games, Sprewell put up an incredible 26.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game during that series.
Although he didn't put up quite the same numbers as he did in Golden State, Sprewell was a near-20 point per game scorer for the majority of his five-year Knicks career.
4. Bill Bradley
You could consider Bradley a shooting guard but basketball-reference has him listed as a small forward. A two-time All-American at Princeton, Bradley came to New York with a lot of hype.
Although he would never become the superstar that many expected him to be, Bradley was a fantastic role player next to players like Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and Walt Bellamy.
Bradley played 10 seasons with New York with his best season coming in 1972-73 when he averaged 16.1 points 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game on a championship Knicks squad.
3. Willie Naulls
Often overshadowed in Knicks history due to the fact that he played in the 50s and 60s, Naulls was a bonafide star during his six and a half seasons with New York.
While he also played power forward, Naulls primarily played small forward with the Knicks. One of the best scorers and rebounders of his era, Naulls averaged an impressive 20.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in a five-year span from 1957-1962 while also making four All-Star appearances during that time.
While the team wasn't very successful in Naulls' tenure, his talent and impact can not be denied.
Talent-wise, you could definitely argue that Anthony should be first on this list. However, a lack of postseason success and failure to bring the Knicks back to the promised land have slightly tarnished Melo's legacy.
The Knicks only made the playoffs three times during Anthony's seven-year Knicks career and only got past the first round once. However, the fault is not all on Anthony as the future Hall of Famer still managed to put up 24.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while maintaining his reputation as one of the best scorers in the league during his career in the Big Apple.
1. Bernard King
Injuries truly held King back from being considered one of the best scorers in NBA history and he may have only spent five seasons in New York (one of which he missed with a knee injury) but the 6-foot-7 star is still the best small forward in Knicks history.
King was a threat to drop 40 or 50 points on a nightly basis if not held in check and all you need to do is go back to the 1984 Eastern Conference First Round to see that. That series, King toasted the Detroit Pistons for 42.6 points per game on an efficient 60.4 percent from the field.
King would also lead the league in scoring during the 1984-85 season with 32.9 per game which is top-ten all-time since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
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