South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-10 NBA Gamecocks of all-time
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 9 Greatest NdNBA Player of All-Time:
Small Forward/Power Forward Renaldo Balkman
Renaldo Balkman (2003-2006) was the last first-round draft pick from the University of South Carolina when the New York Knicks surprisingly took the athletic combo forward with the 20th pick of the NBA Draft. Balkman had a good year with the Knicks as a rookie as he instantly became an impact defender who could make life difficult for opponents at any position.
Unfortunately for Balkman, if he wasn’t dunking the basketball, scoring was an elusive pursuit. His playing time dipped slightly in year 2 as he still couldn’t put the ball in the basket. He was eventually traded to the Denver Nuggets and had a good first year in Denver. The Nuggets were even less enamored with Balkman’s lack of scoring and stopped playing him.
In one of the most famous trades in recent NBA history, Carmelo Anthony was traded from the Nuggets to the Knicks, and Balkman was part of the return package. Back in New York, Balkman barely played and became a roster casualty when “Linsanity” came to town as the Knicks (rightfully) chose to keep Jeremy Lin on the roster. His seven-year career ended with that release.