We begin the day by thanking Patrick Ewing, a real franchise player and warrior who left it on the court every time he wore a Knicks uniform.
Was he perfect? No. When I see him I still tell him he has the worst hands of any all-time great player. Was he easy to cover as a reporter? Not all the time. He could be a pain in the rear but he was always honest and he always accepted responsibility for his and the team’s performance.
Think about that today as we struggle to deal with LeBron James‘ decision to leave Cleveland in his rear view mirror and head to Miami to play the role of Scottie Pippen to Dwyane Wade‘s Michael Jordan.
It’s clear now that LeBron had no intentions of signing with the Knicks regardless of how many times he wore a Yankees cap in public. New York would have meant pressure. Staying in Cleveland would have meant pressure and as we know LeBron, unlike Ewing, cannot handle the pressure.
Let’s not get too glowing about Ewing; he didn’t deliver a ring either and he easily had one of the best teams ever on the court in 1994. That being said, his personality and leadership are what the Knicks have been lacking since he left and frankly something I didn’t think LeBron actually had; he would’ve just scored a lot and overcome the lack of leadership.
LeBron would’ve brought some “cred” to the Knicks, but I’m not sure he would’ve brought a ring. I think he felt the same way which is why he made sure he went to a team with a deck that was a little more stacked even if the city is second-rate and he has no opportunity to really matter to the sport in that market.