NBA: The Knicks Finally Part Ways With Patrick Ewing

By JOE FRISARO

UsFANS.com Managing Editor

Some great Olympic moments were televised Wednesday night. Misty Hyman stunned the world by upsetting Australia’s Susie O’Neill to win the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.

Baseball’s playoff fever also is heating up. Cleveland took a pair of one-run decisions from Boston Wednesday at Fenway Park. The Mets found a way to beat the Braves, and St. Louis clinched the N.L. Central Division championship.

Football news keeps percolating around the NFL and NCAA. Troy Aikman is expected to start for Dallas, and Florida Gators coach Steve Spurrier is going to sit his best defensive player, Alex Brown, for being ineffective.

Yet the biggest news in sports Wednesday involved an aging, 7-foot basketball player who eventually wore out his welcome in New York after 15 seasons.

NEWS FLASH: PATRICK EWING HAS BEEN TRADED.

After weeks of collapsed deals, the Knicks have finally shipped the future Hall of Famer to Seattle in a complicated deal that sends Glen Rice, Luc Longley, Travis Knight, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania, Lazaro Borello, and a couple of first-round picks and two-second-round selections to New York.

In all, 12 players, draft picks and four teams were involved. As part of the shuffling, the Lakers pick up Horace Grant, which only makes the defending champs even tougher.

By blockbuster standards, this is a whopper. Ewing is arguably the greatest player in Knicks history. It seemed only fitting that he would retire as a Knick. Right now, that doesn’t seem possible.

No one should be stunned, though. Loyalty has long been lost in professional sports. Ewing, a warrior, turned frustrated with the organization and fans in New York. Years of falling short of the title finally took its toll. As an organization, the Knicks wanted to change directions, and they were leery of paying Ewing another hefty contract.

In the age of free agency and salary cap, loyalty has been tossed out the window. Every player these days – old or young – has a value placed on his head. The Knicks couldn’t afford to keep Ewing at the salary he was commanding.

So change was inevitable.

Seattle still believes Ewing has some years yet.

Right now, you have to wonder, because in the last few years, Ewing’s body wore down in the playoffs. Still, they wouldn’t have beaten the Heat in the postseason without Ewing.

That was then, this is now. What have you done for me lately?

Ewing failed to win a title, so the Knicks are moving in another direction.

Speculation has it, the Knicks aren’t done dealing, either.

Reports have it that the Knicks are trying to acquire Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo for Allan Houston and Marcus Camby.

The connection here is agent David Falk, who represents Ewing, Rice and Mutombo. Falk reportedly is trying to help broker the deal.

Meet the new NBA. One week, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady shift to Orlando. Another week, the Miami Heat wheel and deal, picking up Eddie Jones and Brian Grant. Now, the Knicks unload Ewing.

Stay tuned, we could be hours, days or weeks away from Mutombo joining the Knicks.

Article courtesy of UsFANS.com