[3] In the off-season, the Knicks signed free agent John Starks, who played in the Continental Basketball Association the previous season.
[4][5][6] The Knicks changed their on-court leadership early in the season, as head coach Stu Jackson was fired, and replaced with John MacLeod after 15 games.
[11] New York finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 39–43 record, and earned the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA playoffs.
Mark Jackson led the team with 6.3 assists per game, playing most of the season off the bench as backup point guard behind Maurice Cheeks.
[15] In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks were swept in three straight games by Michael Jordan and the eventual NBA champion Chicago Bulls.