for coach Jim McDermott. New York selected him in the 1954 NBA draft, but Guerin could not join the Knicks until he had completed two years of service in the Marines. New York was struggling through the mid-1950s at or near the bottom of the Eastern Division. Among the only successful players during that period were high-scoring guard Carl Braun, point guard Dick McGuire, and center Harry Gallatin. Turnover on the team was high. Guerin joined the club in 1956 and quickly established himself. In his second season he made the NBA All-Star Team for the first of six straight years. In his third year Guerin led the Knicks in assists (5.1 apg) and ranked second in scoring (18.2 ppg). He made a (then) team-record 21 assists against St. Louis on December 12, 1958. The 21 assists he totaled were also Madison Square Garden high until John Stockton broke the record 41 years later. That year New York made its only postseason appearance with Guerin on the team, losing to the Syracuse Nationals in a first-round sweep. By Guerin's fourth year in the league he had established himself as a scorer. He made both long shots and layups on his way to a team-leading 21.8 points per game in 1959–60. His 57 points against Syracuse on December 11 broke Braun's previous team record of 47. In 1960–61 Guerin again averaged 21.8 points, adding 7.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest. He then had his best season in 1961–62, averaging 29.5 points and a career-high 6.9 assists in 42.9 minutes per game. Guerin ranked sixth in the league in scoring and fourth in assists, and he became the first Knicks player ever to score 2,000 points in a season (2,303). He ended that season as one of eight NBA players to ever have 2000+ points, 500+ rebounds and 500+ assists in a season. By the end of the campaign Guerin had firmly established himself among the league's backcourt elite. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the third time in his first six seasons. In the 1962–63, Guerin averaged a team-leading 21.5 points. He ranked seventh in the league in scoring, eighth in assists (4.4 apg), and second in free-throw percentage (.848). Two games into the 1963–64 season, the Knicks traded Guerin to the St. Louis Hawks for cash and a second-round draft choice. When he left the Knicks,