Frazier, not Ewing, greatest Knicks player ever
Here it comes with the intensity of New Year's Eve at Times Square.
You could see it, hear it and smell it coming from an ocean away when the news of Patrick Ewing's imminent retirement hit the airwaves Monday night.
This same guy who was run out of town by the media after 15 years of carrying the New York Knicks on the very broad shoulders of his 7-foot frame, has become the tallest and most statuesque example of the Big Apple this side of the Statue of Liberty over the past 24 hours.
Indeed, Ewing was a pre-eminent warrior of a player, his game preparation and his effort every time he stepped out on the court was unquestionable.
But is he the greatest Knick of all time?
Check the record books and he's the holder of nearly every offensive record in Knicks history. And just because he never earned an NBA title doesn't mean he wasn't a superstar and one of the greatest players in NBA history.
In a lot of ways, Patrick Ewing helped define superstardom the past 20 years.
But before he is hoisted on the shoulders of the four horsemen and carried down Broadway in a final act of adulation, let's consider all these commentaries about him being the greatest player in franchise history.
Willis Reed said it. ("He's got my vote as the greatest Knick ever," Reed said.)
Dave Checketts seconded the motion Tuesday, introducing Ewing as the greatest Knick of all time.
 | |
| Walt Frazier led the Knicks to NBA titles in 1970 and '73.(Allsport) |
Clyde gets my vote.
He's the guy in the centerfold of the Knicks media guide ... still.
In case you don't know the nickname -- that would be Walt Frazier.
He has been in the Knicks broadcast booth since 1989. But it was his role as the floor leader for the Knicks titles in 1970 and 1973 that put him in this category. And before everyone starts screaming it's not fair because Frazier had a better cast of players around him, chill for a moment.
It isn't just about winning titles or not. It's about winning games and the manner in which it is accomplished. Ewing's dominance in games is without question, but down the stretch of games, there were too many missed free throws and open field goals that could have been the difference in the team's history.
The fire that drove Ewing often times prevented him from settling into that indefinable state of calm that all megastars have in the face of the most trying moments.
Frazier would score 20 points, dole out 12 assists, sneak away with four steals, grab six rebounds, get the phone numbers of three dancers and play 48 minutes without breaking a sweat.
He had a style and elegance about him that never allowed the team to lose confidence, even though being coached by Red Holzman and being surrounded by the likes of Reed, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Barnett and Earl Monroe certainly helped a lot, too.
But Ewing was coached by Pat Riley and had plenty of support with Charles Oakley, Xavier McDaniel, John Starks, Mark Jackson and many others during his career.
The thing was Frazier did it with the precision of a surgeon and it wasn't until after the game was over and you looked at the box score that it was so obvious how he dominated the game.
The control wasn't just the obvious hands and instincts of a thief that allowed him to take over games on the defensive end. Few basketball fans will ever forget Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and Reed hobbling out on a wheel so bad Goodyear couldn't repair it, and how it gave the fans and the team a lift.
But as the Knicks came away with that stunning 113-99 victory and the Garden exploding in exultation, a glance at the box score revealed that game was dominated by an individual, not Willis Reed.
Count 36 points, 19 assists from Walt Frazier.
Yes Patrick Ewing was a great player in his time and a consummate professional athlete, but at the same time we'll tip our broad-brimmed fedora to the greatest Knick of all time, Walt Frazier.
