Guest bob_barron Report post Posted September 17, 2002 From the AP- Patrick Ewing retired from the NBA on Tuesday, ending the 17-year career of one of the league's greatest centers but leaving him short of his repeated promise to win a championship. Ewing, an 11-time All-Star who was chosen as one of the 50 best players in league history, spent 15 years with the New York Knicks, averaging 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. He was traded to Seattle before the 2000 season and then signed as a free agent with Orlando last year. The 40-year-old center finishes his NBA career with 24,815 points and 11,606 rebounds. "It's time to move on," Ewing said at a news conference. "It was a great ride. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring a championship here." He will take an assistant coaching job with the Washington Wizards, he said, meaning he will be on a team with the player who often denied him his shot at an NBA title: Michael Jordan. "Instead of needling me from afar, he'll be needling me in the same town. We'll be in the same organization," Ewing said. Several of Ewing's former teammates attended the news conference at a midtown Manhattan hotel, including former Knicks forward Charles Oakley. "We had some battles, didn't we Oak," Ewing shouted out to Oakley from the podium. The No. 1 pick in the first NBA lottery draft in 1985, the 7-foot Ewing came out of Georgetown to become the Knicks all-time leading scorer with 23,665 points, but he never won the championship he guaranteed. "There are many great players who have never won a championship," he said. Ewing did help Georgetown reach the NCAA ( news - web sites) championship game three times, winning the national title in 1984. In 1994, Ewing was the centerpiece of the Pat Riley-coached New York team that lost in the NBA Finals ( news - web sites) in seven games to the Houston Rockets after taking a 3-2 lead in the series. Ewing was injured in 1999 when the team lost in the finals in five games to the San Antonio Spurs. Ewing also is the Knicks' all-time leader in rebounds (10,759), steals (1,061), blocked shots (2,758), games (1,039), field goals made (9,260), field goals attempted (18,224), free throws made (5,126) and free throws attempted (6,904). ___________________________________________________________ He was my favourite player of all time and I think it sucks he never got to win the title. We'll miss you Patrick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted September 17, 2002 This is roughly 5 years over due. Why didn't you leave with dignity instead of leaving as a worn out joke Patrick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ant_7000 Report post Posted September 17, 2002 Good for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spaceman Spiff Report post Posted September 17, 2002 Man, that guy would be dripping w/ sweat just from taking off his warm-up gear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Leena Report post Posted September 17, 2002 This is roughly 5 years over due. Why didn't you leave with dignity instead of leaving as a worn out joke Patrick. I have to agree with that. As a Knicks fan, it was sad seeing him leave and tarnish his career with Seattle and Orlando. After Ewing had that sickening wrist injury, he was done. Patrick was a great center for 10 years, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest meanmaisch Report post Posted September 17, 2002 Ewing was a great player, but he will be forever dogged by two things. 1.) He never won a championship 2.) He stayed on way too long Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted September 17, 2002 Ewing may have stayed too long, but how much extra $$$ did he "earn"? Sh*t, I would stay on like a leech if it meant taking in another 7/8-digit payday. It's too bad he didn't win a title, but it wasn't like he had a shortage of chances so I don't feel too bad for him... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RedGrangeMustLive Report post Posted September 18, 2002 This is truly the end of a GREAT career. I grew up watching Patrick in the mid 90's and I loved him. I was such a big fan of Ewing and John Starks. Oh how i wish the the Knicks still had those guys in their primes. MAYBE WE WOULDNT BE SO BAD THEN! Just kidding, LETS GO KNICKS! LET'S GO PATRICK EWING! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Leena Report post Posted September 18, 2002 To this day, I think the Knicks won the title in '94. The refs blatantly gave Game 6 to the Rockets. It's really a shame, because Patrick doesn't get recognition as a great center, simply for that. His stats for his years in New York should easily put him among the top 10 centers of all time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted September 18, 2002 I hope the Knicks do something for Patrick Ewing this season, and I hope Ewing doesn't come out of retirement. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Knicks fan and I like Ewing, but I hate false retirements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alkeiper Report post Posted September 18, 2002 Why didn't you leave with dignity instead of leaving as a worn out joke Patrick. I remember having a similar conversation about Rickey Henderson recently. Why do guys get bashed for hanging on all the time? Some of these guys love the sport they play. A guy like Ewing has nothing else to do the rest of his life. It must be hard to let go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted September 18, 2002 To this day, I think the Knicks won the title in '94. The refs blatantly gave Game 6 to the Rockets. It's really a shame, because Patrick doesn't get recognition as a great center, simply for that. His stats for his years in New York should easily put him among the top 10 centers of all time. Don't remind me about 94. Canucks and Knicks both came up one game short. Fuck Starks- he went like 3-23121 in Game 7 or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted September 18, 2002 You should say fuck Riley for not benching him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alfdogg Report post Posted September 18, 2002 Nah...fuck Starks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alfdogg Report post Posted September 18, 2002 The refs blatantly gave Game 6 to the Rockets I didn't see that game. Was it as bad as when the refs blatantly gave Game 6 to the Lakers against the Kings? Cause it don't get much worse than that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kagato Otaku Report post Posted September 18, 2002 Blasphemy. I recall no overt favortism on the Rockets' part that game. Of course, being a citizen of Houston might have blinded my eyes to the truth. That and the shock of one of our teams winning something for once. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted September 18, 2002 Staying around is one thing staying around as a broken down worn out joke is another thing. And i have no problem with guys staying around forever unless they are totally broken down. Ricky Henderson may not be as good as he once was but he's still capable of playing well enough to stay around and not be a problem for his team. Robert Parrish also stayed longer then he should've, but he was still in pretty good shape and was good enough to fill the reserve center role he played for his last few years. Patrick was a broken down shell of a player who's body was finished. The only reason Patrick got a job in Seattle and Orlando is because of his name and his past glory. If he was just some guy he'd been gone roughly 7 years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted September 18, 2002 He was at his best at Georgetown. Watch ESPN Classic and he's a tall, athletic, shot blocking rebounding machine. Really I don't think he lived up to his full potential in the NBA. He had good numbers but something beside a ring was always missing with Ewing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted September 18, 2002 "To this day, I think the Knicks won the title in '94. The refs blatantly gave Game 6 to the Rockets." I wish I could agree, but I didn't see the game on the account of that !@#$%^&* OJ BRONCO CHASE!!!!! Bastard... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
