1. Ernie Grunfeld
It would be criminal to look past the work former Knicks GM Ernie Grunfeld did during his tenure with the Knicks in the 1990s. The former player for the franchise was very key in putting the pieces together for the team that made the playoffs every season during the decade.
Grunfeld held the role from April 23, 1991 to April 21, 1999, starting his role with the signing of former Lakers head coach Pat Riley in the spring of 1991. The Knicks began to form a tough no-nonsense identity under Pat Riley and assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy’s watch, building players such as mainstays John Starks, Charles Oakley and the late Anthony Mason to fit around star center Patrick Ewing. The Knicks were perennial contenders in the Eastern Conference, usually falling short to Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls.
The Knicks would eventually reach the NBA Finals in 1994 after Jordan’s first retirement, coming up short in seven games against the Houston Rockets. As the Knicks continued to age while competing for playoff positioning in the league, Grunfeld would continue to make moves acquiring players such as Marcus Camby, Latrell Sprewell and Larry Johnson for another surprising NBA Finals run in 1999.
The ironic twist to Grunfeld’s work as GM for the Knicks in 1999 is that he was fired right before the start of the playoffs because of that team’s lackluster record, only earning the No. 8 seed in the conference.
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Grunfeld continues to work as an executive in the league with the Washington Wizards since 2003, continuing to show his front office intelligence.