Ernie Grunfeld

Infobox NBA Player
name = Ernest Grunfeld
nickname = Ernie
position = Shooting guard/Small forward
height_ft = 6
height_in = 6
weight_lbs = 210
birth_date = birth date and age|1955|4|24
birth_place = Satu Mare, Romania
highschool = Forest Hills
college = Tennessee
draft = 11th
draft_year = 1977
draft_team = Milwaukee Bucks
career_start =1977
career_end = 1986
former_teams = Milwaukee Bucks (1977–1979)
Kansas City Kings (1979–1982)
New York Knicks (1982–1986)

Ernest (Ernie) Grunfeld (born April 24 1955) is an American former professional basketball player. He served as general manager of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association from 1989 to 1999, and as the Bucks' general manager from 1999-2003, at which time he became the President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards.

Early life

Born on in Satu Mare, Romania, Grunfeld immigrated to the United States in 1964. He grew up in Forest Hills, in Queens, New York City, where he attended Forest Hills High School.

Maccabiah Games

In the summer of 1973, Grunfeld was selected to play on the American team for the Maccabiah Games, the only high school student on the starting five. He led the team in scoring with a 20-point average, but Israel defeated the U.S. in the final 86-80.

College

Some 200 colleges pursued him. He rejected such major basketball powers as Marquette and Notre Dame, and picked the University of Tennessee because he liked the facilities, the schedule, and the chance it afforded him to become a college star. He starred with fellow New York City high schooler and future NBA star, Bernard King. Together they were dubbed the "Ernie and Bernie Show." Together they averaged over 40 points per game. In his year he averaged 23.8 points per game; in his junior year, 25.3; and in his senior year, 23.8. He left as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,249 points.

Pan American Games and Olympics

Grunfeld played for America's gold-medal-winning team in the Pan American Games in the fall of 1975. His biggest moment in sports came in the summer of 1976 when he helped the U.S. team win the gold medal in the Olympic Games at Montreal. In July of that year he obtained American citizenship.

Pro career

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 11th overall selection in the 1977 NBA draft, Grunfeld played in the NBA for 9 seasons.

After two seasons in Milwaukee, Grunfeld played for the Kansas City Kings from 1979-82. In 1979 he led the NBA in games played, with 82. In 1981 he had a .535 field goal percentage.

He signed with the Knicks as a free agent in 1982. Grunfeld played in New York for four seasons. In 1982 he averaged 12.7 points a game, and 21.8 per 40 minutes.

In 1986 he was 3rd in the NBA in 3-Pt Field Goal percentage, with .426. He retired following the 1985-86 season.

He finished his career with a .477 field goal percentage, and a .770 free throw percentage. His playoff shooting percentages were even better. In 693 career NBA games, Grunfeld averaged 7.4 points per game.

portscasting

After he retired from the NBA, Grunfeld served as the Knicks radio analyst for the MSG Network from 1986-1989.

Front office

Prior to the 1989-90 season, Grunfeld served as an assistant coach for the Knicks under Stu Jackson, before his promotion to director of administration.

Grunfeld was named the Knicks director of administration in 1990-91, and was quickly promoted to vice-president of player personnel on April 23, 1991. After two seasons, he was named vice president and general manager on July 21, 1993. He was promoted to president and general manager of the Knicks on February 23, 1996.

While Grunfeld was the Knicks top executive, New York advanced to at least the Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs each season. He had five 50-plus win seasons, three Atlantic Division Championships, and two trips to the NBA Finals (in 1994 and 1999). In eight seasons as general manager or vice-president of player personnel, his Knicks teams had a record of 397-227 (.636), and a 61-44 record in the playoffs.

At the time of his removal from his general manager post, during the 1998-1999 season, the team had a 21-21 record and were on the verge of not making the playoffs. They eventually got in with a 27-23 record. He was responsible for bringing every player on the Knicks' current roster to the team except for Patrick Ewing. Before the start of the season, he organized the trade of Charles Oakley to the Toronto Raptors for Marcus Camby, and John Starks to the Golden State Warriors for Latrell Sprewell. Many people blamed him for the Knicks' poor play. However, they came within 3 games of winning the championship, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games. At first it was said that he was being temporarily relieved of his duties as general manager. When the season ended with the result that came about, it was said that all was forgiven and he would be reinstated.

However, he took the job as the Bucks' general manager on August 13, 1999, after 17 seasons with Knicks. He held the position for four seasons. The team’s 14 playoff wins during his tenure exceeded the team’s cumulative total in the 12 seasons prior to his arrival. The Bucks posted a record of 177-151 (.540), and never finished below .500, while making the playoffs three times.

He was hired as the President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards in June 2003. As Wizards GM, Grunfeld signed free agent point guard Gilbert Arenas, who has gone on to have 1 2nd team All NBA and 2 3rd team All NBA seasons. Grunfeld also traded bust Kwame Brown for All Star Caron Butler.

Halls of Fame

In 1987 he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.tshf.net/inductees/inductees.html Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame ] ]

In 1993 Grunfeld, who is Jewish, was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. [http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?id=34]

In 2008 Grunfeld's, number 22 Jersey that he wore while at Tennessee was retired, making him the second Tennessee Volunteer in Men's Basketball to be retired along with his Teammate Bernard King

He was also inducted into the PSAL Wingate Fund Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.psalwingatefund.org/hofSport.html#bball PSAL Wingate Hall of Fame Inductees (Listed By Sport) ] ]

Personal

Ernie Grunfeld's son, Dan, played for the Stanford University men's basketball team from 2002-2006, and from 2006-2007 for the German basketball bundesleague team EWE Baskets Oldenburg. He currently plays for Gandía BA, a professional basketball team in Spain. [cite web |url=http://www.eurobasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=ESP&PlayerID=31079&AmNotSure=1 |title=Dan Grunfeld Basketball Player Profile, career, stats, biography |work=Eurobasket.com]

Grunfled has lived in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. [Shouler, Kenneth. [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,59,00.html "To Fix The Knicks: Can Ernie Grunfeld Bring an NBA Championship Back to New York? "] , "Cigar Aficionado", September 1996. Accessed September 9, 2008. "In the off-season, Grunfeld has more time to spend with his wife, Nancy, and their two children, Rebecca and Danny, at their Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, home."]

References

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grunfer01.html Basketball Reference stats]
* [http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?sp=34 Ernie Grunfeld profile] @ jewishsportshalloffame.com
* [http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/bio_grunfeld.html Ernie Grunfeld profile] @ NBA.com