| | I'll admit, I was more than a tiny bit skeptical about Patrick Ewing's
arrival in Seattle. Especially after all the nightmare stories I had heard.
|  | | Didja hear the one about the NBA team actually trading for ... aw forget it. Ewing and agent David Falk ham it up at the press conference. |
Imagine this: One day you are married to Doris Day, the most caring,
giving, unselfish, friendly, courteous, respectful person you could imagine.
And the next, you dump her, move to Utah and marry Salt, Pepa AND Spinderella.
That's what it's like going from Horace Grant to Patrick Ewing.
Or so I thought.
But Patrick came into Seattle the other day, and he charmed the
pants off of us. (No, we are not Knicks cheerleaders.)
He smiled.
He joked.
He shook hands all around like he suddenly was planning on battling George
Jr. and Mr. Personality rather than Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson.
He actually charmed us.
Can you imagine? This man who has worn a perma-scowl for so many years,
coming in and pulling a Prince William.
We were shocked.
What do you do when the Devil Incarnate turns out to be a saint?
You give him a chance, I say. At least til he burns you.
I know, I know, in all likelihood, Big Pat probably played us. He probably
will revert to his former self and shun the media, the autograph-seeking
fans, his own teammates even. Hell, it's hard for any blind man to change his
spots after 15 years.
But for this one day, at least, he was King, and he uncharacteristically
played it to the hilt.
"They say I'm old," he cracked, "but I think I left my wheelchair back
in New York."
Well, Pat's not exactly ready for the ribald Redd Foxx circuit yet but
hey, give the guy some practice and he might be on Monday Night Football soon.
I have a question: If you had a choice between watching MNF, the Olympics
or wet paint drying on grass that is growing, which would you go with?
"I'd like to be going down Fourth Avenue in a (championship) parade with
all the graffiti coming down on our heads," Pat quipped, answering a question
about what he would like out of this late-life experiment.
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|
"It's going to be up to you
to get to know me, not believe everything you read."
--Ewing |
Graffiti? Pat's been riding the uptown trains for too long. I think he
meant confetti. But hey, in a city that hosted the WTO riots, who knows? I'm
sure Pat was following those riots with eager anticipation and concern.
Perhaps he was even making a subtle reference to what he considered
villainous activity by his new city's unfettered youth. We'll give him the
benefit of the doubt until he tells us differently.
Predictions about his time in the Pacific Northwest?
"I'm not giving any predictions. I've done enough of that," Pat said,
throwing a smirk the way of a New York scribe in attendance.
This is the new Pat. The self-effacing Pat. He seemed to have it down pat.
Pat even was asked about his characteristic surliness.
"I'm going to be the same person," he said. "It's going to be up to you
to get to know me, not believe everything you read. There are going to be
times when you are going to want to do an interview, and I might not want to
do it, and when you ask me, I might say no. And then there are times when you
might not want to ask me anything, and I might come up to you."
He flashed a quick smile. If Pat's got anything that is infectious
(perhaps not the right word, given that cheerleader stuff), it's his smile. I
began leaning his way.
"I think that you can't judge me by what you've heard, or what you've
read. You've got to judge me by what you see."
Amen, brother. Preach it. I came and I saw. I will change my ways.
At least for now.
Because let me tell you, there are some concerns in this city about the
acquisition of Ewing.
Not that it was a bad deal. No way. Not when the 45-win Sonics were
stagnant all summer, and were returning this season counting on Vin Baker,
once again, to be in shape.
That's like having Richard Simmons as your inspirational guide for weight
loss. I don't get it. That dude is fat. F-A-T. Fat. The only thing he
inspires me to do is go down to the local bistro, order some shrimp scampi
broiled in a vat of butter, wrapped with peppered bacon and used as a garnish
for a big-hunking piece of cheesecake. And then order an entree.
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| Lewis |
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| Payton |
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| Baker |
But there are concerns. Pat said all along he just wants to fit in. But
he's always said that, as long as fitting in means getting his shots. And
what happens when Gary Payton needs his shots, and Vin needs his shots? Does
it become a renewal of the ugly Ewing-Sprewell-Houston argument?
And that's not even taking into account Rashard Lewis. The Sonics have
banked on this guy as the future of their franchise, and they were hoping to
develop him this season and next to assume the mantle of responsibility once
Payton retires.
Now, Lewis goes from the second option to the fourth option. Shandon
Anderson got tired of that deal in Utah, and he bolted to Houston. Lewis only
signed a two-year contract this summer, and if he sees his development
overshadowed by the shot-mongering of the Big Three, he could act like a prom
dress and take off. Is it worth a few years of Ewing to lose a decade or more
or Lewis?
And finally, what Ewing always presents are questions about his health.
Grant could be counted on for almost an entire season of play -- assuming, of
course, that Vernon Maxwell is not throwing around any more weights or women.
But Ewing is almost certain to break down at some point. And when that
happens, the Sonics' starting and backup centers will be Ruben Wolkowyski,
some cat from Argentina who has no NBA experience -- I think they made a
movie about him a few years ago, called "The Big Wolkowskyi" -- and Jelani
McCoy. Those two could each grab one of Shaq's legs and hang on like Jeff Van
Gundy, and it wouldn't do any good.
Still, the Sonics had to do this move. It makes sense. For everybody. The
Sonics get a true center for the first time since Romulus whacked Remus. And
Ewing, as he seems willing to do, gets a fresh start.
And, hey, if it doesn't work out, we can always throw graffiti at them.
Frank Hughes covers the NBA for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune. He is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 The Seattle Sonics welcome their new center Patrick Ewing.
RealVideo: 28.8
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