New Knicks acquisition Patrick Ewing Jr. could wear the retired “33” – his father’s number when he played at the Garden – if he makes the roster out of training camp.
The Knicks traded for Ewing Jr. yesterday, giving the Rockets the draft rights to 7-foot center Frederic Weis – yes they still had the bum’s rights – to complete the minor deal.
The elder Ewing, a Magic assistant coach, said at the pre-draft camp in June that if the Knicks ever drafted his son, he would want him to wear “33.” Ewing Jr., selected in the second round by Sacramento before being traded to Houston in the Ron Artest blockbuster, wore “33” at Georgetown, where he was a role player and earned the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season.
“He can wear anything he wants,” Ewing said. “He can take the jersey down form the rafters and put it on his back.”
Ewing’s uniform number was retired in 2003 in an emotional Garden ceremony. A Knicks official said Ewing Jr.’s number hasn’t been discussed yet.
The issue is whether the 6-foot-8 forward can make the club. The Knicks now have 16 players, one over the maximum. Ewing Jr., whom Knicks president Donnie Walsh believes can be a lockdown defender, does not have a guaranteed contract.
However, Stephon Marbury, despite dropping to 200 pounds, continues to be on thin ice and is a candidate for the waiver wire.
The Rockets have no interest in the 31-year-old Weis, who’s playing in Spain with Bilbao after spurning the NBA after the Knicks drafted him n the first round in 1999 over Artest. Ewing used to coach in Houston and out of respect, the Rockets didn’t want to release his son. When they acquired Ewing Jr., he had no chance of making their roster.
“(Ewing Jr.) will have an opportunity here to compete for a spot on our roster,” Walsh said. “He is a solid defensive player and a very good athlete.”
A role player at Georgetown, NBA scouts are concerned Ewing Jr. won’t have an NBA position. He averaged 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds in 21 minutes as a senior.
Walsh raved about Ewing Jr.’s defense on draft night, and admitted he was trying to obtain a late first- or second-round pick to draft him. However, despite his athleticism, he is a poor offensive player and an erratic 3-point shooter.
“I like him a lot,” Walsh said after the draft. “I think he could be a good addition to an NBA team because he’s a glue guy.”
But will he stick?
“Coming to the Knicks, and hopefully being able to contribute, means a lot to me. It has always been my dream to play for this team,” Ewing, Jr. said in a statement. “My goal is to show the coaches that I can play and do all that I can to help the team win some games.”
Walsh drew the ire of Ewing last spring for not extending him a courtesy interview for the Knicks’ head-coaching job. It would more than make up for it if Ewing Jr. were to make the Knicks, who open training camp Sept. 30 in Saratoga.