I consider myself a student of the game and a historian. The McGuire name in New York City is royalty when you talk about basketball.
I always will be indebted and grateful to Dick McGuire, who passed away yesterday. McGuire is the reason I fulfilled my dream and became a Knick.
Dick is the man who made the move to draft me in 1987 out of St. John’s, his alma-mater, with the 18th pick in the draft.
It wasn’t until afterward that I discovered how it played out. That draft, McGuire was calling the shots as it was before the Knicks hired general manager Al Bianchi and coach Rick Pitino. Dick was the guy who made the decision.
I remember when the teams from 13 to 17 were selecting and was thinking, “Please don’t pick me. I’m a New York guy.”
Before I was a Knick, I knew Dick first as a St. John’s legend and was very familiar with him. He always had a great basketball mind. He helped pave the way for guys such as me.
If you have ever seen footage of Dick playing you would understand. When you think about point guards, you thought about Dick McGuire and Bob Cousy. The ultimate distributors, knowing how to run the team.
That he was one of the great passers and floor generals and understanding the importance of that probably affected his decision in drafting me. We had a lot in common, both growing up in Queens, pass-first point guards who played at St. John’s.
Dick was a guy of few words, but I remember the night a couple of years ago when St. John’s retired 10 of our jersey numbers.
Dick was at the microphone, and they were impactful words. He wasn’t trying to dominate the microphone. That was never his style. Two things that stood out. It was very brief but to the point. It was very clear he was moved and appreciative of the moment.
This is a tough loss for basketball. All the players had a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for him. It’s a tough loss. He was class act and will be sorely missed.
My prayers go out to his family — the legendary McGuires. New York City basketball royalty.