Dick Van Arsdale was a college star with the Indiana Hoosiers before he was drafted by the New York Knicks, where he played his first three seasons, but he was chosen by the expansion Phoenix Suns in the Expansion Draft and he became the face of the new team.

Van Arsdale developed a sweet mid-range shot, and coupled with his high free-throw ability, he was one of the most accurate shooters of his day.   The original Sun was an All-Star in his first three seasons in Phoenix.  In those All-Star years, Van Arsdale averaged over 21 Points per Game and was the main star for those struggling Suns squads. As he got older, Van Arsdale became a more competent defender and even won an All-Defensive (Second Team) Selection in 1973-74. 

He would later provide a veteran role on Phoenix’s first NBA Final in 1976, and would retire a year later.  Fittingly, Van Arsdale’s twin brother Tom was with him for his final campaign.

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is currently in the best form of his career. His incredible consistency with five 40-point games in eight games has helped his team reach the 2024 NBA playoffs and ranks him among the greats, like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jerry West.

The question being asked here is, can Brunson lead the Knicks to their first NBA championship win since 1973? Let’s dive in to find out.

Can Brunson lead the New York Knicks to the 2024 NBA title?

If point guard Jalen Brunson can continue with his fine form, there is a very good chance he could be the key player to make the difference and help lead the Knicks to their first NBA title in over 50 years.

Many are saying that the 27-year-old who wears the number 11 shirt is simply unguardable and one of the most talented players right now in the NBA.

The best way to find out if the Knicks can win the NBA championship this year would be to look at the latest 2024 NBA outright winner odds on today’s most reputable iGaming sites.

What are the odds of the Knicks winning this year?

There are just seven teams left battling it out to win this year’s NBA championship, and the NBA finals are fast approaching. Here are the latest odds of winning the NBA championship outright for each of the remaining teams, starting with the team most likely to win (the odds-on favourites):

• Team: Boston Celtics (favourites) to win the 2024 NBA Championship Decimal odds: 1.65. American/moneyline odds: -154. Fractional odds: 13/20. Implied probability rate (IPR): 60.60%
• Team: Denver Nuggets. Decimal odds: 4.00. American/moneyline odds: +300. Fractional odds: 3/1. IPR: 25.00%
• Team: Dallas Mavericks. Decimal odds: 9.00. American/moneyline odds: +800. Fractional odds: 8/1. IPR: 11.10%
• Team: Minnesota Timberwolves. Decimal odds: 9.00. American/moneyline odds: +800. Fractional odds: 8/1. IPR: 11.10%
• Team: New York Knicks. Decimal odds: 21.00. American/moneyline odds: +2000. Fractional odds: 20/1. IPR: 4.80%
• Team: Oklahoma City Thunder. Decimal odds: 21.00. American/moneyline odds: +2000. Fractional odds: 20/1. IPR: 4.80%
• Team: Indiana Pacers. Decimal odds: 81.00. American/moneyline odds: +8000. Fractional odds: 80/1. IPR: 1.20%

In other words, it’s not looking good for the Knicks to win this year. However, nothing is ever guaranteed in basketball, and even the outsiders/underdogs can upset the odds sometimes.

In other words, betting on the favourites, the Boston Celtics, or the Denver Nuggets, won’t guarantee a return on your wager.

Upcoming fixtures

On Saturday, May 18, the New York Knicks play game six against the Indiana Pacers. They are currently leading 3 games to 2 and are the odds-on favourites to win. Their final game against the Pacers is on Sunday, May 19.

Final thoughts

Many Knicks fans, sports analysts, and NBA experts feel that Jalen Brunson and the Knicks could go all the way this year. It will be interesting to see how far they can go, but we will have to wait and see.

If they do end up winning the NBA championship this year, Brunson’s value will go through the roof, and all the bigger clubs will no doubt want to sign him for a record-breaking fee.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will look at how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Cincinnati Bengals have announced the nominees for their Ring of Honor.

Here are the nominees:

Jim Breech, Place Kicker: 1980-92.

Breech is the all-time leading scorer in franchise history and was the first kicker to have two 40-yard Field Goals in the Super Bowl.

James Brooks, Running Back: 1984-91.

In the years Brooks played for the Bengals, only Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, and Roger Craig had more Yards from Scrimmage (9,459). He was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and had 64 Touchdowns for the club.

Cris Collinsworth, Wide Receiver: 1981-88.

Collinsworth was the runner-up for the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1981 and was a Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro in his first three seasons.  He exceeded 1,000 Yards four times and had 6,698 Receiving Yards and 26 TDs.

Corey Dillon, Running Back, 1997-2003.

Dillon was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first six seasons, 8,061 in total for the Bengals. He is Cincinnati’s all-time leading rusher and also had 89 Touchdowns (82 rushing, 7 receiving) for the Bengals.

David Fulcher, Safety, 1986-92.

Fulcher went to three straight Pro Bowls (1988-90) and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1989. Over his career, he recorded 31 Interceptions and 8.5 Sacks.

Tim Krumrie, Nose Tackle, 1983-94.

Krumrie was twice named to the Pro Bowl.  In 1988, he was a First-Team All-Pro and was seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Playing his 12-year career in Cincinnati, Krumrie accumulated 1,017 Tackles and 34.5 Sacks.

Dave Lapham, Offensive Guard, 1974-83.

Lapham started 105 of his 140 Games and, following his playing career, would join the Bengals broadcasting team.

Max Montoya, Offensive Guard, 1979-92.

Montoya was a member of the Bengals’ first two AFC Championship teams, and three of his four Pro Bowls were in Cincinnati.

Bob Trumpy, Tight End, 1968-77.

Trumpy is the only player in team history to be named an AFL All-Star and to the Pro Bowl.  A First Team All-Pro in 1969 when he had a career-high 835 Yards and 9 Touchdowns, he tallied 4,600 Yards and 35 TDs.

Reggie Williams, Linebacker, 1976-89.

Williams played all of his 206 NFL Games with the Bengals where he had 63.5 Sacks.  He also won the Alan Page Community Award in 1984 and the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1988.

You can vote for who you think should enter the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor here.

The problem with running a Hall of Fame-related website is that many of the big ones we cover all have announcements within months of each other.  The backbone of what we do is list-related, so this results in a long push to revise what we already have; specifically, now with our Football and Basketball Lists.

At present, we have a minor update as we have completed the eighth ten of the 2024 Football List, which you can comment on and vote on:

The new 81 to 90:

81. Shaun Alexander
82. Gene Lipscomb
83. Anquan Boldin
84. Donovan McNabb
85. Everson Walls
86. Cookie Gilchrist
87. Phil Simms
88. Ray Childress
89. Dick Anderson
90. Herschel Walker

Rankings are impacted annually based on your comments and votes.

Thank you all for your patience. We will soon unveil more changes to the football and basketball lists.