What misjudging the 1996 draft reminds us about the Knicks’ hopes for this year

I don’t know if the phrase “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is” stemmed from the Knicks’ 1996 draft, but it definitely could have.

A few of us were sitting in the stands of Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands that night, June 26, 1996, when the Knicks were armed with three first-round picks — Nos. 18, 19 and 21. As the selections were made ahead of them and the Knicks moved closer to being on the clock, the opportunity seemed tantalizing.

John Wallace wasn’t really going to fall to the Knicks, was he?

It seemed absurd. Wallace had just completed an epic season at Syracuse, averaging 22.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. He had drained the game-winning shot against Georgia in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. He had carried Jim Boeheim’s team to the national championship game against Kentucky.