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Chron: Working with longtime enemy looks like a breeze

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by ron413, Jul 6, 2003.

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  1. ron413

    ron413 Contributing Member

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    http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/1981733

    July 5, 2003, 10:42PM

    Working with longtime enemy looks like a breeze
    By MICKEY HERSKOWITZ
    Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

    For 15 years, the length of his performance on Broadway, New Yorkers searched for the real Patrick Ewing. They wanted a glimpse behind the mask, a bar of the music that made the man.

    According to Jeff Van Gundy, the real Ewing was there all along: amid the game's poetry, he was the mightier action speaking louder than words. He looked like a scowling, 7-foot version of Sidney Poitier. He showed less and said less than the crowd and the media wanted, but he never shortchanged them when it came to physical effort.

    In a twist of sweet irony, anyone still looking for the inner Patrick can renew the search in Houston, where he suffered the most crushing loss of his career. He is moving as far off-Broadway as one can get, to become the personal mentor to the most intriguing young talent in the NBA.

    That would be the 7-foot-5 Yao Ming, who has the touch, the footwork, the quickness, the smarts and the moves to make any coach gasp. What he lacked in his rookie season was the brute force that enabled him to hold his own inside. This was Ewing's game, the ability to pound and grind and set up all the other skills.

    Of course, Ewing also brings one of the most admired work ethics in NBA lore, although nobody accused Yao of taking tea breaks during games or practices. And if Yao needed a role model, all he had to do was consult the Rockets' photo gallery.

    You can begin with Hakeem Olajuwon, who tormented Patrick, as he did most of the big men in the league, and who led the franchise to its only championships, over the Knicks and the Orlando Magic.

    Then there is Moses Malone, and Elvin Hayes, who had their own tricks and trademarks in the decade before Hakeem and Patrick established their rivalry. All four were voted to the NBA's list of 50 greatest players.

    But Ewing adds an extra element because he played for Van Gundy, knows the system, and can help Yao with the non-verbal language barrier, explaining what it means when the new Rockets coach rolls his eyes or does a pirouette in front of the bench.

    It is possible to over-coach a terrific young player who has the Mandarin market cornered. But it figures to be fun getting to know Ewing as someone other than the enemy, and watching him work with this rare material.

    Patrick finished his career with short stints in Seattle and Orlando, and took his baby steps as a coach in Washington, where the talent included the ageless Michael Jordan. There are signs Ewing has loosened up as he accepted his legacy, of unfulfilled goals, of having reached the crest of the mountain but not the peak.

    No one needs to be told that New York audiences are tough, and they were not always easy on Ewing. But when the Knicks retired his jersey in March, the crowd booed when Orlando called a timeout with nine seconds to play in the half, delaying Ewing's ceremony.

    Van Gundy, who succeeded Rudy Tomjanovich after the wildly popular Rockets coach stepped down to focus on his health, was the last of Ewing's eight head coaches in New York. They enjoy each other, which is a good beginning for a new staff.

    "I'll always be a Knick, and I'll always be a New Yorker," said Patrick, when his jersey was raised to the rafters in Madison Square Garden.

    No one can begrudge that sentimental admission, and it won't make him less liked or less valuable in Houston. Nor do Rocket fans care about the debate he left behind: Does Ewing rate as the greatest of all Knicks?

    "I don't think it matters," said his former Georgetown coach, John Thompson. "What matters is that he never relied totally on his God-given talent; he worked harder than anyone around."

    You see in Ewing a player with the same pride and dignity that were so admired in Olajuwon. He never talked trash, which long ago ceased to be considered unsporting or un-American. If anything, it has become unavoidable.

    Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewing does not move among us as a stranger. In 1984, Ewing and Georgetown turned aside Olajuwon and the University of Houston in the NCAA Finals. Who could have imagined that 10 years later the two gifted giants would stand in each other's way again?

    Olajuwon outplayed him in the series by a clear margin, but Ewing never quit, never conceded a thing until David Stern handed the championship trophy to Rudy and Les Alexander.

    Ewing was an all-star 11 times, and it is typical that he refused to be designated the No. 1 Knick. It was enough to be No. 33, the number they raised to the rafters.
     
    #1 ron413, Jul 6, 2003
  2. SLA

    SLA Member

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    "Role Model"? :p Wow! He was born in Jamaica?!? "Who could have imagined"?!?

    Welcome to Houston!

    I don't know why everyone hates him. I think he is just as good as Chris Webber is now...but Chris Webber isn't that good.

    He's a coach now! He'll always be a New Yorker. I don't think he will impact or improve the Rockets that much. Hopefully he isn't making more than $999,999.99 a year.
     
    #2 SLA, Jul 6, 2003
  3. Faos

    Faos Contributing Member

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    Every quote I've read about Ewing mentions his hard work ethic.

    That pumps me up.
     
    #3 Faos, Jul 6, 2003
  4. KALIKULI

    KALIKULI Contributing Member

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    It's time for Patrick to passed along the wisdom and talent he possesed when he was a Knicks.

    Ewing does have a home here in Houston, and as the Houstonian will embraced him and thank him someday!:cool:
     
    #4 KALIKULI, Jul 6, 2003
  5. Yetti

    Yetti Contributing Member

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    Why such a hard sell?
     
    #5 Yetti, Jul 6, 2003
  6. Raven

    Raven Member

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    I don't remember ever seeing Ewing dunk the ball, even once. Yeah he could score, but he didn't intimidate. He didn't dominate physically like Dream or Shaq. I never thought of him as tough, only as a big man with a great shooting touch.

    There's a difference between being just a center and being a monster force in the middle, causing guards to scurry away from your sweeping presence like cockroaches caught in the light.

    That's what I want YM to be, and I'm not sure Ewing can teach YM to become something that he never was himself.

    Raven
     
    #6 Raven, Jul 6, 2003
  7. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Contributing Member

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    [​IMG]
    :D
     
    #7 ima_drummer2k, Jul 6, 2003
  8. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Contributing Member

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    Damn, apparently you never ever watch NBA highlight videos. There's this one dunk he did that is seemingly on every highlight collection ever made, and it deserves it too: it's the hardest dunk I've ever seen. I'm surprised he didn't shatter the backboard. Seriously. I'm not making this up. I don't like Ewing that much or anything. I'm not saying he dunked a lot, but that's one, and a damn good one at that.
     
    #8 Drexlerfan22, Jul 6, 2003
  9. Roc Paint

    Roc Paint Contributing Member

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    If I see another Ewing topless bar reference, I think I just might puke all over myself.

    Like you've never seen one before? ******* computer geeks.

    Good luck Pat!
     
    #9 Roc Paint, Jul 6, 2003
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2003
  10. dn1282

    dn1282 Member

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    Come on...we're all hakeem fans here, but this is ridiculous. Hakeem was a force but...physically? You're putting Hakeem and shaq in the same "physically intimidating" category? I don't remember Hakeem ever needing to be tough or strong or whatever. Most of the time, he went around people, not through them like shaq.
     
    #10 dn1282, Jul 6, 2003
  11. CRC

    CRC Member

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    Another added advantage of having Patrick on the team - Makes Yao that much more handsome when stands alongside Ewing :D
     
    #11 CRC, Jul 6, 2003
  12. We're Back

    We're Back Member

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    Ewing is trash...
     
    #12 We're Back, Jul 6, 2003
  13. Matador

    Matador Member

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    "The girls danced, started fondling me, I got aroused, they performed oral sex," Ewing said. "I hung around a little bit and talked to them, then I left."

    http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2001/0723/1229843.html

    Yeah I'm sure he can teach Yao a thing or two.

    :rolleyes:

    I just want to see Roc Paint puke on himself
     
    #13 Matador, Jul 6, 2003
  14. thumbs

    thumbs Contributing Member

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    Best observation of the day! Thumbs up, Yetti.
     
    #14 thumbs, Jul 6, 2003
  15. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    Why?

    Have you read this BB over the last few weeks? People on here discount Ewing just because his Hoyas beat the Cougars for the NCAA title back when. They discount him because he is from New York, because he was a Knick, because he was a rival. Enough with the past! It is all about the present and what he can do to help Yao.

    Why the hard sell? Because of people's shortsightedness , because of people living in the past instead of the present and what the future could look like with him here helping Yao!
     
    #15 Deuce, Jul 6, 2003
  16. Faos

    Faos Contributing Member

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    I doubt that makes him any different than many athletes.
     
    #16 Faos, Jul 6, 2003
  17. ricerocket

    ricerocket Member

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    He's "coming" to heaven - the titty bar capital of the world!
     
    #17 ricerocket, Jul 6, 2003
  18. Shark44

    Shark44 71er
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    Although he's mentioned as being a hard worker as a player, I wonder if that's translating over as a coach? With JVG's manic tendencies, I'm sure he expects his coaches to work very hard also. I work in the DC area and not many were impressed with his work with their center Brendan Haywood.

    I hope that his experience in JVG's system and Yao's talent will make his impact greater on the Rockets, then what appeared to be little impact on the Wizards.

    I also thought it was curious that he'd follow MJ to MIL. Things that make you go...
     
    #18 Shark44, Jul 6, 2003
  19. Faos

    Faos Contributing Member

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    Could ANYONE help Haywood?

    I'll say it again: Van Gundy has made the choice, like it or not. He has his reasons. I'm throwing all my support to Van Gundy and the new staff in the hopes that they now what they are doing, or until they prove otherwise.
     
    #19 Faos, Jul 6, 2003
  20. Likemike33

    Likemike33 Member

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    People forget that ewing was an intimidating force in the middle. He had 30 block shots in the 94 final series but was broken by tim duncan this year.
     
    #20 Likemike33, Jul 6, 2003
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