Patrick Ewing is considered by many to be one of the greatest players in the history of the New York Knicks. Ewing was the leader of the New York Knicks during the 80s and the 90s, making them one of the best teams in the league and a regular contender in the Eastern Conference.
But one of his former teammates feels like Ewing’s presence was not as pivotal for the Knicks. Former NBA star Charles Oakley spoke on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast about Ewing. He feels like Ewing didn’t bring toughness to the squad, and didn’t contribute as much to winning basketball for the Knicks, despite his solid numbers during that stint.
“Patrick was good, but Patrick wasn’t that Georgetown Patrick to me. He didn’t bring that. When he left Georgetown, I think he left his toughness there. He got to be a more finesse (player). And that really hurt as a team because it aint about getting 30 points, its clawing that middle when you coming down, put they a** out on the floor. I did. We trying to win as a team… That’s what he didn’t do. Besides, he got his 20-10, dream team, hall of fame, all that. But we didn’t get the ring. You get the shots, the glory, but the team don’t win nothing.”
Ewing helped the Knicks replace the Detroit Pistons as the toughest and most physical team in the NBA. And they were regularly competing with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Ewing even took the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals, but couldn’t overcome fellow big man Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
Ewing, despite his failure to bring a championship to New York, is still considered a legend within the franchise. He was the leader of the Knicks during their most successful period in the league, and made sure that they were a regular contender for the NBA championships.
