2002–03 New York Knicks season

The 2002–03 New York Knicks season was the 57th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 15 years,^[1] the Knicks received the seventh pick in the 2002 NBA draft, and selected Brazilian Nenê Hilario,^[2][3] who was soon traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Antonio McDyess.^[4][5] However, the team's hopes for a rebound season took a hit before the start of the season, as McDyess needed knee surgery and was lost for the entire season.^[6][7][8] Meanwhile, Latrell Sprewell showed up to training camp with a broken hand, and was fined $250,000.^[9][10][11]

2002–03 New York Knicks season
Head coach	Don Chaney
General manager	Scott Layden
Owners	Cablevision
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Results
Record	37–45 (.451)
Place	Division: 6th (Atlantic) Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	MSG Network
Radio	WFAN
< 2001–02 2003–04 >

In Don Chaney's first full season as head coach, the Knicks lost ten of their first twelve games, held a 21–27 record at the All-Star break, and missed the NBA Playoffs for the second straight year,^[1][12][13] finishing tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 37–45 record, which was a 7-game improvement over their previous season.^[1][14] Allan Houston led the team in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game, while Sprewell averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Kurt Thomas provided the team with 14.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. In addition, Howard Eisley contributed 9.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, while Shandon Anderson added 8.4 points per game off the bench, and Othella Harrington averaged 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.^[14] Following the season, Sprewell was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[15][16][17]

On February 4, 2003, in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Sprewell scored 38 points and made each of his nine three-point field goal attempts. His performance set an NBA single-game record for the most three-pointers made without missing a three-point attempt.^[18][19][20]

NBA draft

Main article: 2002 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	7	Nenê Hilario	PF	Brazil	Vasco da Gama {Brazil)
2	36	Miloš Vujanić	G	Yugoslavia	Partizan Belgrade

Roster

2002–03 New York Knicks roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From G/F 49 Anderson, Shandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1973–12–31 Georgia C 51 Doleac, Michael 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 262 lb (119 kg) 1977–06–15 Utah G 4 Eisley, Howard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1972–12–04 Boston College F/C 32 Harrington, Othella  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1974–01–31 Georgetown G 20 Houston, Allan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1971–04–20 Tennessee C 44 Knight, Travis 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1974–09–13 Connecticut F 34 McDyess, Antonio  (IN) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1974–09–07 Alabama F 54 Nailon, Lee 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1975–02–22 TCU G 7 Postell, Lavor 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1978–02–26 St. John's G/F 8 Sprewell, Latrell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–09–08 Alabama F/C 40 Thomas, Kurt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1972–10–04 TCU G 21 Ward, Charlie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1970–10–12 Florida State F 35 Weatherspoon, Clarence 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–09–08 Southern Miss G 30 Williams, Frank 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 1980–02–25 Illinois

Head coach Don Chaney Assistant coach(es) Greg Brittenham Steve Clifford Andy Greer Tom Thibodeau Herb Williams Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Last transaction: October 30, 2002

Roster notes

• Power forward Antonio McDyess missed the entire season due to a knee injury.^[7]

Regular season

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New Jersey Nets	49	33	.598	–	33–8	16–25	16–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers	48	34	.585	1	25–16	23–18	17–7
x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	5	25–16	19–22	13–12
x-Orlando Magic	42	40	.512	7	26–15	16–25	14–11
Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	12	23–18	14–27	11–13
New York Knicks	37	45	.451	12	24–17	13–28	9–15
Miami Heat	25	57	.305	24	16–25	9–32	5–19

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Detroit Pistons	50	32	.610	–
2	y-New Jersey Nets	49	33	.598	1
3	x-Indiana Pacers	48	34	.585	2
4	x-Philadelphia 76ers	48	34	.585	2
5	x-New Orleans Hornets	47	35	.573	3
6	x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
7	x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	8
8	x-Orlando Magic	42	40	.512	8
9	New York Knicks	37	45	.451	13
10	Washington Wizards	37	45	.451	13
11	Atlanta Hawks	35	47	.427	15
12	Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	20
13	Miami Heat	25	57	.305	25
14	Toronto Raptors	24	58	.293	26
15	Cleveland Cavaliers	17	65	.207	33

Record vs. opponents

2002-03 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOH	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	0–3	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–2
Boston	3–0	—	2–2	4–0	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–2	2–0	1–3	3–1	4–0	3–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	1–1	1–3
Chicago	2–2	2–2	—	3–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–3
Cleveland	0–4	0–4	1–3	—	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–4	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–4
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	—	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–0
Denver	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	—	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
Detroit	3–1	2–2	4–0	4–0	0–2	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	3–1
Golden State	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	4–0	1–1	—	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	2–0
Houston	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–4	4–0	0–2	3–1	—	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	1–3	1–1
Indiana	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	2–0	1–2	3–1	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	—	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	—	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–1
Memphis	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	0–4	—	2–0	2–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–1
Miami	3–1	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	—	1–3	1–1	0–4	0–4	2–2	0–4	0–4	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	4–0	0–2	1–3
Milwaukee	2–2	2–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	—	0–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–1
Minnesota	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	—	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–0
New Jersey	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–2	1–1	1–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	—	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	3–1
New Orleans	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–1
New York	3–1	0–4	1–2	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	—	2–2	2–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–2
Orlando	1–2	2–3	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–2	1–1	0–2	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	—	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	1–3	2–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–2	2–2	2–2	—	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–0	1–1	4–0
Phoenix	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	—	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–3	1–1
Portland	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–3	—	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–0	1–3	1–1
Sacramento	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	—	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–0
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	—	3–1	2–0	4–0	1–1
Seattle	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–3	1–3	—	2–0	2–2	1–1
Toronto	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	0–2	3–1
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–0	—	1–1
Washington	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–2	0–2	1–3	1–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	—

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Shandon Anderson	82	9	21.1	.462	.371	.732	3.1	1.1	.9	.2	8.4
Michael Doleac	75	0	13.9	.426		.783	2.9	.6	.2	.2	4.4
Howard Eisley	82	76	27.4	.417	.389	.848	2.3	5.4	.9	.1	9.1
Othella Harrington	74	64	25.0	.508		.820	6.4	.8	.2	.3	7.7
Allan Houston	82	82	37.9	.445	.396	.919	2.8	2.7	.7	.1	22.5
Travis Knight	32	0	9.0	.385	.000	.769	1.9	.4	.3	.3	1.9
Lee Nailon	38	0	10.7	.442	.000	.824	1.8	.7	.2	.1	5.5
Lavor Postell	12	0	8.2	.368	.286	.867	.3	.3	.2	.0	3.6
Latrell Sprewell	74	73	38.6	.403	.372	.794	3.9	4.5	1.4	.3	16.4
Kurt Thomas	81	81	31.8	.483	.667	.750	7.9	2.0	1.0	1.2	14.0
Charlie Ward	66	6	22.2	.399	.378	.774	2.7	4.6	1.2	.2	7.2
Clarence Weatherspoon	79	19	25.6	.449		.768	7.6	.9	.9	.5	6.6
Frank Williams	21	0	8.0	.273	.375	.667	.9	1.6	.3	.1	1.3

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

August 2, 2002

To New York Knicks— Antonio McDyess Frank Williams 2003 2nd round pick (Maciej Lampe)

To Denver Nuggets— Marcus Camby Nenê Mark Jackson

Free agents

Additions
Player	Date signed	Former team
Michael Doleac	August 7	Cleveland Cavaliers
Mark Pope	September 30	Milwaukee Bucks
Lee Nailon	October 30	Charlotte Hornets

Source:^[21]

References

1. "New York Knickerbockers Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
2. Povtak, Tim (June 27, 2002). "Foreign Players Make Move". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
3. "2002 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
4. Broussard, Chris (June 27, 2002). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Get McDyess for Camby and Jackson". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
5. Ford, Chad (June 27, 2002). "Knicks blockbuster may be the tip of iceberg". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
6. Broussard, Chris (October 14, 2002). "Pro Basketball; McDyess's Knee Injury Buckles the Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
7. Isola, Frank (October 14, 2002). "Bad Break for Knicks' Season: Knee Fractured, McDyess Is Gone". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
8. Smith, Sam (October 30, 2002). "Eastern Conference Capsules". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
9. Broussard, Chris (October 7, 2002). "Pro Basketball; Sprewell Situation Hangs Over Knicks". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
10. Hack, Damon (October 7, 2002). "Knicks Fine Sprewell $250,000". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
11. Hack, Damon; Broussard, Chris (October 8, 2002). "Pro Basketball; Knicks Fine Sprewell $250,000 and Say Stay Away". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
12. "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
13. "2002–03 New York Knicks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
14. "2002–03 New York Knicks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
15. Robbins, Liz (July 24, 2003). "Pro Basketball; It's a Done Deal: Exit Sprewell, Enter Van Horn". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
16. "Sprewell Is Part of 4-Team Trade". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. July 24, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
17. Isola, Frank (July 24, 2003). "Knicks Send Sprewell Packing: Trade Nets Van Horn". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
18. Broussard, Chris (February 5, 2003). "Basketball; Sprewell Sinks 9 of 9 3-Pointers, a Record". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
19. Teaford, Elliott (February 5, 2003). "Sprewell Pours It on Clippers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
20. "Sprewell: 9 of 9 from 3-Point Line". The Washington Post. February 5, 2003. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
21. "2002–03 New York Knicks Transactions". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2021.