By Steven A. Gilley
Stevengilley15@aol.com
Patrick Ewing Jr. has big shoes to fill all over again. After transferring from Indiana to Georgetown while in college, he played in his father's shadow, Patrick Ewing.
Now playing in the NBA, Ewing Jr. will do the same after he was traded to the New York Knicks from the Houston Rockets on Friday in exchange for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis.
Ewing joined the Knicks as the No. 1 pick in the 1985 draft, and is the franchise's career leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots, among other categories. He will be inducted into basketball's Hall of Fame next week.
While some athletes would rather not play where their father became a legend, Ewing Jr. embraces the opportunity and is looking forward to making a name for himself.
"Coming to the Knicks, and hopefully being able to contribute, means a lot to me," Ewing Jr. said in a statement. "It has always been my dream to play for this team. My goal is to show the coaches that I can play and do all that I can to help the team win some games."
Currently an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, Ewing echoed the sentiments from his son about playing for Knicks, where he starred for 15 of his 17 seasons in the NBA.
"I am very happy my son will follow in my footsteps. Hopefully he will have a long and productive career in New York. I am proud of him and wish him nothing but success."
Moreover, Ewing Jr. does not have a guaranteed spot on the team and must show new head coach Mike D'Antoni that he deserves to make the roster. After the Knicks poor 23-59 record last season, the team has little room for error.
Source:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3559816
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