| | By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
Someday, Lazaro Borrell's grandchildren can look back and say their grandfather was traded for Patrick Ewing. Of course, a total of 12 players and five draft picks were involved in one of the biggest trades in NBA history, not only in terms of quantity of players, but quality as well. Say what you want about Ewing, but he is one of the top centers of all-time.
|  | | Ewing |
| |  | | Rice |
Anyway, with so much going into this trade -- which had been talked about all summer and finally was completed without the services of one Vin Baker -- we at ESPN.com have decided to break it all down and pick out why each team made the deal and what it means for the future.
Why the Knicks made the trade
It's really all about the Knicks, isn't it? They are the ones who give up one of the top 50 NBA players ever, their man in the middle for the last 15 seasons and a No. 1 overall draft pick who came with big expectations and left with them unfulfilled. Eleven other people were moved in the trade late Wednesday night, but it's all about Patrick.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Charlie Ward
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SG
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Allan Houston
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SF
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Latrell Sprewell
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PF
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Larry Johnson
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C
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Luc Longley
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6th
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Glen Rice
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There are two sides to every story, and we'll deal with both for the Knicks. This is a good deal for New York because it unloaded a potential locker-room nightmare who couldn't stay healthy and didn't want to be there. The Knicks had no intention of giving Ewing a contract extension. Ewing has been taking flak from the media for a decade for not delivering an NBA title. Now, at 38 and with multiple injury issues that have prevented him from playing at full speed, he was unlikely to suddenly deliver now.
The Knicks reached the Finals twice in the Ewing era, but only once when Ewing played a significant role. While he did contribute 15 points and 10 rebounds a night in his 62 games last season, he became unreliable in the playoffs because he wasn't on the floor. And there's certainly no indication that would change.
Unless another trade is made for Dikembe Mutombo or some other center, and that appears unlikely, the Knicks will use Luc Longley as their new man in the middle. Longley has three more championship rings than Ewing does, but he's not the same player, even now. But to be positive, Longley doesn't clog the lane or demand the ball, either. He does have experience, and he will rebound the ball and defend a little. And he is better than Chris Dudley because he has some semblance of an offensive game and doesn't airball his free throws. The Knicks will probably try to run more and play a smaller lineup featuring Marcus Camby at center.
With Glen Rice, the Knicks get one of the top shooters in the game, a player who is clearly better than he looked with the Lakers. He can drain the 3-pointer with the best of them, but he doesn't create his own shot very well. Rice also needs someone to get him the ball, which might not happen in New York.
With Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston also playing the swingman spot, the Knicks have outstanding outside shooting, but only one ball and not enough minutes to satisfy everyone. Also, unless one of these guys plays the point, the Knicks can't afford to play all three at the same time. Rice is a poor defender and doesn't really belong in the Eastern Conference, where he's more a liability. He's either a stud scorer on a bad team, or instant offense in limited minutes for a contender. And we saw how that worked out last year. Plus, the Knicks lost their center and still have point guard issues.
That's the negative side of the trade. Longley is not Ewing, not even today when he's a lot younger. Ewing was the only Knick who hit the boards on a consistent basis last season. He still commands a double-team in the post, and opponents still think twice about driving on him since he can block shots. Sure, he's brittle, old and you don't get the ball back when you pass it to him. But he still puts up numbers. Longley isn't likely to do that. If Knicks fans booed Ewing out of town, what do you think they'll do to Longley?
Finally, it should be noted that the Knicks get four draft picks in the deal, but take a closer look. These aren't lottery picks (in fact, the picks are lottery-protected in the trade). Furthermore, first-round picks from the Lakers and Sonics are not going to be in the top 20 of the draft, and the second-round picks from Seattle are meaningless since most players taken that late don't make the roster, especially a Knicks roster which might release a player or two from this deal. (Vernon Maxwell on the Knicks? Fuh-get about it.) As for Travis Knight and Vladimir Stepania, Knight proved he couldn't back up Shaq last year, and Stepania is more of a project than anything else. But he's no Frederic Weis.
Why the Sonics made the trade
Because they're playing for this season, and this season is looking pretty darn good. Ewing might or might not get his contract extension from the Sonics, but you know he's going to be playing hard while looking for it. In a Western Conference that features Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and assorted Blazers big men, Seattle had to get a better inside presence than Horace Grant and Vin Baker, and it did.
This trade makes all the other Sonics better. Baker can finally be a power forward again. He must be happy that there's a real center in town, and he can run and jump without having to worry about Shaq's butt pushing him into the basket support. Baker, who is in fine shape these days, might really flourish again.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Gary Payton
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SG
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Brent Barry
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SF
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Rashard Lewis
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PF
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Vin Baker
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C
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Patrick Ewing
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6th
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Ruben Patterson
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Ewing will be asked to play big minutes for Seattle, and there's no reason to think his numbers will go down. He instantly gives the Sonics a rebounder and shot-blocker. They just have to find a way to keep him healthy. And they have to convince the fans that having Ewing for only one season made the deal worthwhile.
As for the seven players the Sonics no longer have, there's no truth to the rumor that Seattle offered to throw the Space Needle in. Sure, the Sonics have less of a bench now, but who did they really lose? Grant is old and he's a power forward, not a center. Maxwell was horribly inconsistent after a fast start last year, and his off-the-court problems cemented his being released at some point.
Borrell and Stepania are young, and are no lock to be good someday. Greg Foster is an ordinary big man, easily replaceable. Chuck Person is a decade past being a contributor, but will be remembered for taking the team's last shot in the playoff loss to Utah. Emanual Davis has some skills, but you don't call off a trade because of him.
The Sonics win in this deal because they part with seven players and three picks that they really won't miss and get the best center they've had since Jack Sikma. You can make a strong case that Seattle is the best West team after the big three of L.A., Portland and San Antonio. Whether they can do better than that in the regular season or playoffs is a different story.
Why the Lakers made the trade
Many people think the Lakers make out the best in the deal. Earlier on Wednesday, they were about to lose Rice for absolutely nothing. The Bulls had called a press conference to announce the signing of a player the Lakers wanted no part of next season. Rice never adapted to the triangle offense, mainly because he's not a great passer and nobody passed him the ball. Defensively the Lakers were at a huge disadvantage with him on the floor, and between Rice and his wife, there were plenty of off-the-court distractions as well.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Ron Harper
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SG
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Kobe Bryant
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SF
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Rick Fox
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PF
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Horace Grant
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C
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Shaquille O'Neal
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6th
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Isaiah Rider
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Welcome, Mr. Grant. The Lakers will plug him in to their vacant power forward spot immediately. Phil Jackson knows Grant well from the Bulls days, though this version is older and doesn't do as much. However, Grant is a fine passer and more than capable of helping Shaq out with double-digit boards each night. Grant did his best career work with Phil in the triangle, and he's a team guy.
Christian Laettner? Please, Grant might be older, but the Lakers can win the title now and don't need egos. They need rebounds, and Grant is a tough player with loads of experience.
As for losing Knight and the draft pick, so what? Another side to this deal which is overlooked is the addition of Davis from Seattle. He's not a true point guard, and his outside game needs work, but can he possibly be any worse than Derek Fisher, who didn't come close to hitting 40 percent of his shots last year? Fisher is out for a few months, maybe as much as six months, to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Davis should step right in and contribute.
With the loss of Rice, Rick Fox is more than capable of stepping in and starting at small forward. This gives the Lakers two of the best players in the NBA in the starting lineup, two team-oriented winners at forward, and Ron Harper or Davis at the point. The bench didn't take much of a hit in this deal, either. It's safe to say that new Lakers boss Mitch Kupchak will be just fine in replacing Jerry West.
Why the Suns made the trade
You can question the Suns if you like, but this deal doesn't change very much for them -- for good or bad. Longley is a better all-around player than Dudley, no doubt, but the Suns were desperate to unload Longley's inflated salary and didn't intend to use him very much next year. It was obvious to them early on that Longley was not the same player he was in Chicago. The Suns are always running, which Longley isn't particularly strong at, and needed a better rebounder. Dudley is not that player, but the Suns figure they lose nothing by moving him.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Jason Kidd
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SG
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Penny Hardaway
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SF
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Shawn Marion
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PF
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Tom Gugliotta
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C
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Clifford Robinson
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6th
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Rodney Rogers
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Dudley will play a role, though, when the Suns face the West teams with big centers. It might only take a few minutes for him to get in foul trouble, but Dudley has a bigger body than Longley and takes pride in his defense. He can rebound and bang and is a smart player. Just don't let him shoot.
Phoenix clears some cap space (Longley had two more years on his inflated deal than Dudley does) and get a first-round pick from New York, which figures to be a better pick than its own. But Longley wasn't going to be the difference for the Suns. You can make the case that the Suns' involvement in the deal, which was critical to making it, helps out two competing teams in their division, which is a strange move indeed. Also, this trade might clear the way for the welcoming of rookie Iakovos "Jake" Tsakalidis, a 7-2 center the Suns drafted and are now trying to woo to Phoenix.
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ALSO SEE
Knicks trade Ewing to Sonics in four-team deal
Mourning: Ewing felt disrespected
Lakers pleased to get Grant, and rid of Rice
Suns get Dudley from Knicks
Aldridge: Sadly, Ewing divorce is official
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