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Thursday, April 26, 2001
Ewing: 'I'm still a Knick'
Associated Press
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NEW YORK – Patrick Ewing was back at Madison Square Garden
on Thursday night -- and he heard nothing but cheers.
Noted Knicks fan Spike Lee was the first to warmly greet Ewing,
walking over to hug him at his nearby front-row seat during a
timeout late in the first quarter of New York's 94-74 loss to the
Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
The above-court video screen then showed a close-up of Ewing,
drawing a standing ovation from a capacity crowd desperate for
something to applaud with the Knicks down 18-12 at that juncture.
He smiled, but didn't stand and wave until after more loud
prodding from the fans with whom he shared a love-hate relationship
for 15 seasons.
"I still consider myself a Knick, so I'm rooting for the
Knicks," Ewing, traded to Seattle last offseason, said later. "I
feel that the fans definitely showed their appreciation for what I
brought when I was here and I appreciate it."
During a timeout in the second quarter, Ewing sat back in his
chair as a rap version of John Denver's "Take Me Home" with
lyrics about New York blared on the arena speakers and the video
screen showed shots of city landmarks.
Ewing, who averaged career lows of 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds
this season as Seattle finished 10th in the Western Conference,
isn't accustomed to his team being out of action this time of year.
The Knicks reached the postseason each of his last 13 seasons
with the team.
"It's hard not being in the playoffs," said Ewing, who turns
39 in August. "It's disappointing not being out there playing. The
season didn't turn out the way I would have liked but that's life.
You just have to move on."
Sonics general manager Wally Walker said Wednesday that Ewing
isn't likely to be with the team next season.
"The decision on Patrick is, do we look to re-sign him at age
39 after we didn't make the playoffs?" Walker said. "We all love
Patrick here. He gave us everything he had and it was a pleasure to
have him around. The final decision hasn't been reached yet, but I
think you understand what I'm saying."
The 11-time All-Star center has no doubt he'll be in the NBA
next season.
"At the end of the playoffs I'll sit back and take some time to
reflect and think about my future, talk to my agent, and discuss my
options," Ewing said. "I don't know what the future's going to
be, where I will be playing next year.
"All I know is that I will be playing."
With the Knicks down by more than 20 points in the fourth
quarter and a majority of the spectators streaming to the exits, a
handful of people began chanting "Pat-rick Ew-ing."
His presence was about all the home fans could get excited
about.
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