NBA: What Now for the Knicks After Ewing?

By Mike Round Sports Central Columnist

"The only regret I have is that I didn't bring a title to New York. I'll carry that regret with me for the rest of my life."

So said Patrick Ewing, following his trade to Seattle. From the city that never sleeps to the city that can't. Seattle gets themselves a rebounder and a shot blocker. Someone who can mix it with Shaq. Vin Baker gets to play power forward and the Sonics clear the bench of some dead wood. If he can stay healthy, just for one season, Ewing gives the Sonics a better team than last year.

But what does New York get out of trading away their best player in franchise history? The first pick taken in the 1985 draft. The man who revolutionized the center position, making eleven all-star appearances, who scored 40 points or more thirty times. A man who made 2,758 blocks (fourth on the all-time list) and scored 23,665 points.

First off, New York gets rid of the controversy that had become Patrick Ewing. The constant injuries, the constant media jibes that the Knicks were better off without Ewing on the floor and the sullen, frustrated, joyless figure that Ewing had become. He felt disrespected in New York and it showed. No attempt was made by the team to offer him an extension. They openly shopped him around and finally found a taker.

In return for one of the NBA's Fifty greatest ever players, they got Glen Rice, Luc Longley, draft picks and backups. And hardly anyone is convinced it makes the Knicks better, at least in the short-term.

Instead of Ewing or Chris Dudley in the middle, the Knicks now have Luc Longley, Marcus Camby, or Travis Knight. What a mess. Longley was a bust in Phoenix, earning big money for little production. He's experienced, but his skills are limited. He won't put many points on the board. Knight doesn't look the type to prosper in the tough East and Camby is trade bait. Despite what GM Scott Layden is saying, the Knicks still aren't happy with the center position, but options are limited.

The choices they have post-Ewing won't frighten Pat Riley or Alonzo Mourning. Rumor has it that Dikembe Mutumbo and/or Chris Webber are in the Layden's sights, but the Knicks don't have the ammo to deal for, either.

On the perimeter, there aren't enough minutes (or balls) to go round in New York. Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, and now Glen Rice like to shoot - often. Of the three, only Sprewell is interested in defense. Houston has never looked like being the go-to-guy. He can shoot on his day, but that's unlikely to be when the game's on the line. Rice has the reputation of being a me-first player, only interested in his own stats and game time. Plus, he hasn't produced, consistently, in four years. Sprewell has recovered from his well-documented difficulties of a few years ago and become a fan favorite in MSG. He might move to point guard instead of Charlie Ward, as he can cover most guards in the East. That would mean Rice gets more playing time, but he would have to produce on defense and pass with regularity. He hasn't shown he can do, either.

With all three in the game, New York had better score plenty, because they're not going to stop anyone putting points on the board.

Sprewell is the key to success in MSG. He's by far the most dominant player on the team, can pass, shoot from the line, play defense, and score. He can't do it all however, and Jeff Van Gundy knows it. Rice will bitch and whine if he doesn't get his minutes - and so will his wife, agent, mother-in-law, dog, blah, blah, blah. No one is going to pick up his $9 million a year contract so he can't be shifted quickly.

Houston is going into the last year of his deal and could be bait. But Houston, Camby, and draft picks won't be enough to get Webber or Mutumbo.

Come late-season and, if they make it, post-season, the Knicks will need a tough guy in the middle who can play defense and rebound. Patrick Ewing, when fit, can still do both.

"You can't win with just perimeter shooting. You can't say you're a better rebounding team when you lose your best rebounder," said Jeff Van Gundy after the trade. Unless New York finds an adequate replacement for the legend that was Patrick Ewing, there might not be a post-season at MSG.

Article courtesy of Sports Central