With the San Diego Chargers and San Diego State Aztecs combiningto win exactly zero games in nine chances, football season hasofficially ended in San Diego. Although basketball season inAmerica’s FinestCity doesn’t offer much more excitement, West Coast basketball, onthe other hand, will be headed down the yellow brick road.
That’s right. Our left coast brother to the north, Seattle, willbe paid an extended visit by none other than Patrick Ewing.
With two busted knees, a bad achilles tendon, and if only he had aheart, the Tin Man was acquired by the Seattle Supersonics in afour-team, 12-player deal that sent, among others, Horace Grant tothe Lakers and Luc Longley to the New York Knicks.
What is Seattle thinking? Did they watch any film of this guy?Knowing Ewing, he’s still camped out in the 3-second lane at MadisonSquare Garden hoping someone will pass him the ball before he leavesfor Washington.
Granted, Ewing has an impressive resume: fifteen seasons, a 22.8points per-game scoring average, honored by the National BasketballAssociation as one of its 50 greatest players, 1985-86 Rookie of theYear — the accolades seem endless. Or was that just the seeminglyendless number of years he played in the league without winning aring?
As much as I hate to say anything complimentary about a freak ofnature like Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O’Neal, he is already anaccomplished passer. But he wasn’t when he came into the league. Helearned how to be unselfish, and now he has a ring.
Ewing has never learned this elementary concept, averaging 2.0assists per game in his career.
Do the Sonics really think that an oft-injured, 38-year-oldblack-hole-of-a-center is going to help them get back to where theorganization was four years ago? Sorry, I just can’t see it.
I’m just curious as to when Seattle’s all-star point guard GaryPayton is going to realize why Knicks counterparts Allen Houston andLatrell Sprewell always looked so pissed off.
As much as I’d like to continue my rant about Ewing’s uncannyability to stagnate an offense, Seattle will quickly learn the phrase”defensive liability.”
Ewing doesn’t stand a chance in the up-tempo style of play that isthe NBA’s Western Conference. Trying to play night in and night outagainst athletic centers like O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan,David Robinson, Dale Davis, Rasheed Wallace, and Sacramento’s VladeDivac will be quite a chore.
And those are just the first few centers that come to mind.
Just because someone can tip-toe down the court in time to postup, turn and throw up a nasty, fall-away jumper to beat the 24-secondclock doesn’t mean they can run up and down the floor for 48 minutes.Considering the Tin Man’s age and questionable health, it wasn’texactly shocking last season’s average of 1.35 blocked shots per gamewas the lowest in his career.
I guess the Sonics’ acquisition of Ewing is simply a case ofSeattle management not paying close enough attention to theirsilver-screen history. If they would have just taken a closer look atsome of Ewing’s co-stars in “The Wizard of Oz”, things would bedifferent.
If anyone in Seattle’s management had a brain, they couldn’tpossibly have pulled the trigger on any trade involving Ewing. I’llbet there’s a scarecrow somewhere that could help them out.
Dorothy said it best when she said “There’s no place like home.”Sonic brass would have been well served to stay home the day theysigned off on the Ewing deal.
And the Tin Man himself should have looked to his lion friend forsome courage to do the right thing and walk away from the game withsome dignity.
The Tin Man’s acceptance of the trade just shows that he hopesSeattle is the WD-40 for his rusting, championship-less career.
Ironic, isn’t it? The same rust ring Ewing is trying to removefrom his shooting hand will be the only one his finger will ever see.
Jeremy is a journalism junior and art director of The Daily Aztec.He can be reached at ohiostate23@hotmail.com.
