Howard Komives (Pro basketball. Born, Toledo, OH, May 9, 1941; died, Toledo, OH, Mar. 22, 2009.) A lefty-shooting guard who, at Bowling Green in 1963-64, led the nation’s collegians in scoring as a senior (36.7 points per game), Howard Komives was the Knicks’ third draft choice in 1964, after Jim Barnes and Willis Reed. Komives, known as Butch, was a solid scorer during his 10-year N.B.A. career (averaging 10.2 p.p.g. with four teams) but is best remembered for being part of a trade on Dec. 19, 1968, that brought Dave DeBusschere to the Knicks. Along with Walt Bellamy, Komives went to Detroit in the deal that helped create the nucleus for the Knicks championship teams of 1970 and 1973. Komives averaged 11.9 p.p.g in 335 games for the Knicks. His best seasons were 1965-66, when he averaged 13.9 in 80 games, and 1966-67 (15.7 in 65 games). Komives also played for Detroit, Buffalo, and Kansas City-Omaha.
