Through decades of mediocrity, the New York Knicks have cemented themselves as the most underwhelming franchise in the NBA. Despite all the hype surrounded by the bright lights of the Big Apple, the franchise has yielded nothing but disappointment for their fans, providing little hope that the future ahead will be much different.

The last time the Knicks had a true franchise player was nearly 30 years ago when Patrick Ewing reigned as the king of New York. Even so, the superstar's dreams of bringing a championship back to the city that never sleeps were laid to rest in 1994 with Hakeem Olajuwon standing in the way as he snatched the Larry O’Brien trophy, along with the heart of the Knicks organization.

Since then, the franchise has been the embodiment of disappointment after consistently failing to meet expectations. Despite dawning great names such as Phil Jackson, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingus, the Knicks have tallied just four full winning seasons in the past 20 years. Not to mention the catastrophic offseason that was 2019, when James Dolan was convinced his team would be landing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving through free agency.

That said, it becomes clear that the franchise lacks any of the sparks needed for sustained success in today’s NBA. To be blunt, bearing the name of a big market like New York City just isn't enough without worthy management and competent ownership. Unfortunately, rather than identifying quality talent and providing them with dynamic development, the New York Knicks franchise continues to engage in a pointless, subpar arms race yielding significant regression.

Now, the franchise embarks on the pursuit of a new star without any sense of direction, and with Donovan Mitchell’s name swirling through trade rumors, it seems the Knicks will be adding yet another All-Star caliber name to their lackluster list of those that couldn't win in New York.