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The Tears of a Clown By Michael S. Lewis Contributor New York City, New York—On the issue of Patrick Ewing’s departure to the Seattle Supersonics, New York Knicks Fans tend to fall into two distinct categories. Either they feel that a major roadblock has been overstepped by the Knicks in their attempt to finally challenge for the NBA crown, or they are embarrassed by the way the City and the Franchise treated one of the greatest players ever to dawn Knick red, white and blue. In an opinion piece written in Sunday’s New York Times, comedian, writer and director Woody Allen proclaims that he falls into the latter category. “I fall into the group that regrets seeing Patrick Ewing go,” Allen writes. “I clocked him, along with Walt Frazier, as one of the greatest Knickerbocker players in the team’s history.” At a number of points in Allen’s piece, the writer seems to implicitly criticize the way New Yorkers treat their professional athletes. The city that never sleeps has a reputation for chastising their brightest stars for the slightest missteps, and forgetting the glories of the past in the un-merciless quest for measurable success. Allen goes as far as to say that New Yorkers have been wrong in the way they have characterized the New York Knicks’ inability to win championships as “Ewing’s Failure.” “The complete recipe for a Knicks championship was never quite there, but not because of the shortcoming of Patrick’s. He rebounded, he blocked shots and he amassed the most points in Knicks history. It wasn’t that his teammates were all mediocre, not at all. It’s just that despite the undeniable skills of players like Mark Jackson and Charles Oakley, the chemistry wasn’t there to go all the way…That he single-handedly could not bring a championship to New York is no surprise to anyone who follows sports.” Unfortunately, the New York Knicks franchise, and many of its fans tend to be both irrational and unappreciative in their appraisal of great New York sports heroes like Patrick Ewing. Allen wishes circumstances were different. “There’s a deeper value in teams keeping certain players for life despite the inevitable diminution of their skills. There’s more to sports than the big money and not even winning is so precious. There’s something intangible that makes contests between teams or gifted individuals not just beautiful to watch but profoundly meaningful, even though in the overall scheme they are demonstrably meaningless.” Ewing, who after fourteen years with the Knicks, will put on a new uniform for the first time since 1992 (when he won the Olympic Gold medal as a member of Team USA), seems to be relieved that he no longer has to play in the oppressively intense New York City environment. Looking at recent pictures of the 7-foot center, one is struck both by the breadth and width of his smile, and by the way those wrinkles seem to have disappeared from his forehead. It’s a sad thing to say, but I bet Patrick’s happy to have left Gotham for the Pacific Northwest. Allen goes as far as to suggest that the aged Ewing could be a major asset to the Seattle Supersonics. “Meanwhile, if Ewing’s healthy,” he writes, “Seattle has gotten a bargain.” On the other side of the coin, most basketball experts are wondering how New York will fill the vacancy left by Ewing’s departure. Who will go toe-to-toe with Sabonis, O’Neil, Duncan and Robinson when the Knicks swing west on a road-trip. The Knicks may have acquired sharp-shooter Glen Rice, but many people believe that he is weak on defense, and aren’t sure which corner relief in that area of the game will come from. In truth, the Knicks may have prematurely let go of the one man who, when healthy, holds the team together. Stay tuned for the NBA season to see how this tale turns out. Meanwhile, one is sure to see Woody
Allen seated courtside at Madison Square Garden. “It’s hard to be
reasonable about a phenomenon so irrationally joyful as basketball,” the
comedian says. Yet one can’t help but think that this season will
be bitter-sweet for this New York personality without Patrick Ewing in
the Knicks’ line-up. “Players like Patrick Ewing don’t come along
too often,” he says, and now, for Knicks fans, he’ll come along only when
the Seattle Supersonics are in into town.
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