The Knicks have had plenty of talent over the years. They have not been able to harness that talent effectively though, because of the quality of talent they've brought in. Zach Randolph, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson (though in the right role he can help out on a good team) are all horrible teammates. If that is your core to build on, then nobody should be surprised when they combine for an average of 25-30 wins a season.
Allen Iverson is also widely considered a "horrible" teammate. But he is still a HOF in my opinion.
I'd say over the past 10 years or so, Steve Francis (look at that - another former NYK) has been the worst teammate in NBA history. Refused to play for the team he was drafted by, fought with Jeff Van Gundy who actually (unlike Rudy T) transformed a team that would get on Sportscenter top 10 every night into one that made the postseason. Unfortunately, Francis was dissatisfied with committing himself to something greater than himself, so he was shipped out. And teams have historically done better once he's left them.
If Francis learned to play the right way, he'd still be in this league. But he got to this point with his oohs and aahs tricks. He didn't even play beyond his sophomore year of HS basketball, he made it the hard way but it wasn't by playing in a system, he was the system itself. And now he is out of the league.
