...anything that you could efficiently turn into a projectile (keep that in mind), gives you that much more versatility...should you ever need it. However there's a big difference between throwing an orange, a baseball bat or a knife....common sense has a lot to do with whether a given object would be effective as a projectile.
I have heard (one too many times) that "you never throw your weapon/knife". Which is odd, considering that the whole point behind the invention of any given firearm/bow/slingshot/etc, is to throw some sort of projectile fast and accurate.
For whatever reason, here in US the throwing of "things" as means of fighting, is not the most popular subject and most of those who talk about it try to convince people as to why it would not work. I grew up in a third world country on the wrong side of the iron curtain, where any means were used for conflict (other than firearms) day in and day out. I have had my head split open by thrown rocks twice, once by a very heavy crystal ashtray (i'm still surprised that didn't kill me), took a thrown bottle to my kneecap (no real damage there, but he was holding a second one....that made me leave him alone). In retrospect, i got cut once (in three places by what looked like a ring on his finger with some type of spike welded to it and got stabbed once with a piece of glass from a previously broken window. I said all that to say this....most people seem to underestimate the ability of a thrown object as opposed to close range manipulation/swinging of that same object. I fought my way out of both stabbings (the ring thingy barely grazed my skin) but was out cold and scary bloody on the ashtray and deff. out of commission on the rocks.I chose to back out of the bottles after the first one hit me in the leg. Those were times (not the only ones) when i was on the wrong side of a fight/weapon. The retrospect stories, i won't say. I will say i have also thrown my share of...things. Depending on what it is and how well you throw, the damage done will vary. But it will stop the conflict 90% of the time. I walked away from a bottle thrown, because of the next one (or more) coming dwn the pipe. I couldn't walk away from the guy swinging the spike or the glass untill they stopped moving, so i can be sure they don't swing for the jugular next.
If you come close to me with that knife, i'll do whatever i have to to get myself out of that predicament (be weary of a desperate opponent, especially a wounded one). Though if you make like you'll throw as you stand 10ft away from me, chances are i'll back up from that (unless i can take cover).
One of the main reasons why i got to love knives as much as i do, is because i can throw them effectively. In my opinion a knife is not a weapon as much as it is a tool. Most stories of fatality or wounds coming from knives didn't come from "knife fights", they came from stabbings where the victim not only was unarmed, but didn't even know what was coming. In an actual fight where your weapon of choice would be the knife, in order for that to qualify as a fight the opponent would have a weapon of his choice. And it is in that case, where you find out that the knife is not necessarily all that it's cracked up to be as a weapon...unless you can throw it...and throw it well:
1.Me knife, you nothing - that's not a fight, that's a stabbing, it don't count.
2.Me knife, you rock - i'll throw...before you do
3.Me knife, you baseball bat - me 3" reach to get to your gut, you 24" to get to my skull....screw it, i'll throw 5-6ft in.
4.Me knife, you gun - ...come close enough to you to thrust?...i'll be too busy running the opposite direction. If you give me the time, maybe i throw before i run.
5.Me knife, sword - i'll throw
6.Me knife, you ax - really?...i'll throw
7.Me knife, you shovel/pitch fork - i'll throw
8.Me knife, you bow - i'll throw
9.Me knife, you...and five of your friends - that's when i'll keep the knife
Regardless of any stories (you get all kinds), logic would say this. If you're good at manipulating a knife/screwdriver/whatever, stick with that. If you're good at throwing them, stick with that. To each his own, none is wrong...it's up to you and you're better abilities as opposed to your not so good ones.
Give Bruce Lee a nunchack and put him in the middle of 10 guys. They're out cold in 1 min. Give me a nunchack and i might as well throw it as somebody cause if i start swinging it goes forhead-nuts-eye socket....and neither one belongs to the opponent.
As for the main subject of this thread, remember this: it's not "throwing the knife" it's "turning the knife into a projectile"...that should be self explainatory