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Patrick Ewing ended his career as one of the best big men to play in the NBA despite not winning a championship. Going up against plenty of other superstars prevented him from securing a ring. It wasn't for lack of trying, though, as the New York Knicks were a perennial contender with the legend at the helm. The competition just proved too tough.
Interestingly, he had a taste of what was to come for him in the NBA right from the get-go. In an appearance on the "Knuckleheads" podcast in 2020, Ewing shared his experience facing another legend, Moses Malone of the Philadelphia 76ers, in his very first game in the Association.
"I got my a-- busted by a lot of dudes, but the first one was Moses Malone," Pat said. "I can still remember that game. It was my first regular-season game, and we played against the Sixers. I looked up to Doc. I looked up to Moses my whole life in basketball."
"Big Mo" bringing the pain
According to Ewing, he actually had a good first possession against Malone. It all went downhill from there because the three-time MVP hounded him the entire evening.
"I remember the first shot, it came off the board, and I went over to Moses and dunked it. The rest of the game, Moses wore my but out; he kicked my a*s. He was all over me, so yeah, Moses was the first. He wasn't the last, but he was the first," the legendary big man added.
To be fair to Ewing, he performed well in his NBA debut, all things considered. He had 18 points, albeit on 8-21 shooting, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Of course, those numbers weren't enough, especially since Malone notched 35 points and 13 rebounds. The "Chairman of the Boards" was also pretty aggressive on offense, as evidenced by his 18 free-throw attempts.
The star-studded Sixers went home with the dub, as the Knicks had few answers for a lineup headlined by Malone, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, and Maurice Cheeks.
On this day in 1985... 11x NBA All-Star and 75th Anniversary Team member Patrick Ewing made his NBA debut, scoring 18 PTS for the @nyknicks! #NBAVault #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/ALCSLkNyoN
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 26, 2021
"Big Pat" getting some revenge
The 12-time All-Star dominating Ewing became a recurring theme during the Knicks icon's rookie campaign. In their next two face-offs, Malone scored 30 each time to lead Philadelphia to double-digit victories.
However, as time passed, Ewing developed into an elite big man, while Malone's age started catching up to him. The duo faced off a total of 35 times, and while their head-to-head record was neck and neck (18-17 in favor of Pat), the younger legend had more games registering more points.
Unfortunately for the Georgetown University product, he failed to secure what Malone had: a championship.
Through 15 seasons with New York, he had to go through the likes of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Reggie Miller, and Alonzo Mourning in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And when the Knicks did manage to make it to the Finals in the Ewing era, the obstacles that stood in their way were Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994—who, according to Charles Oakley, treated Pat "like a mop"—and Tim Duncan in 1999.
Still, in spite of being ringless and getting his "a*s busted" by Malone and other rivals, the Hall of Famer's legacy is intact.
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Knicks Next Coaching Target Revealed
The New York Knicks have gotten knocked down but they've been quick to get up again. That might as well be the unofficial theme of their ongoing formation of a new coaching staff headed by Mike Brown, which endured another twist on Saturday: per SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks were rejected by former guard and current Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni in an attempt to land him on their own bench but have set their sights on longtime Los Angeles Clippers assistant Brendan O'Connor. "O’Connor has strong defensive acumen, has worked for LAC under Ty Lue and Doc Rivers," Begley said in a Saturday X post. "[The Knicks] will presumably continue to look for an assistant to help on offense even if they add O’Connor to help guide the defense." O'Connor has been on the Clippers bench since 2013, having previously earned a championship ring while working with Larry Brown and the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons. Brown also brought O'Connor aboard his extended Knicks staff when he briefly served as head coach during the 2005-06 season. In that span, Los Angeles has the second-most regular season wins in the NBA behind only the Golden State Warriors. This time around, O'Connor took on a larger role in the Clippers' everyday operations after both Tyron Lue and associate head and former Knicks boss Jeff Van Gundy were forced to miss time. As Begley alluded to, O'Connor has been lauded for his work on defense. Under his partial watch, Pistons big man Ben Wallace broke out as a two-way star, earning three of his four Defensive Player of the Year titles during O'Connor's Motor City tenure. The next man to join the Knicks' staff is reportedly set to join a hodgepodge of former Mike Brown collaborators such as Charles Allen and Riccardo Fois while Rick Brunson, Maurice Cheeks, and Darren Erman have reportedly been brought in from predecessor Tom Thibodeau's final staff.
Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw
The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.
Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Red Sox Dream Target Reportedly Just Hit Trade Block
The Boston Red Sox could use more firepower in the middle of the lineup and as the trade deadline has gotten closer, rumors specifically about first base have popped up. One guy who has been floated as a fit has been Tampa Bay Rays star Yandy Díaz, but a deal has seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. While this is the case, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Tampa Bay may be more willing to move him than initially expected and that Boston will be at the top of the list for him if he does actually become available. "The Rays entered Saturday 3-4 since the All-Star break and 6-15 since June 28," Rosenthal said. "Any thought of owner Stuart Sternberg going out on a high note before selling the club appears to be fading. A rapid turnaround might force the Rays to shift course. But Rays officials began signaling to teams late Friday that they will be open to moving Díaz, second baseman Brandon Lowe and others if they do not reverse their tailspin. A final decision might not come before Wednesday, on the eve of the deadline. "The Rays have been reluctant to trade Díaz, who sacrificed perhaps greater money elsewhere by signing two club-friendly extensions. If they indeed become willing to move him, the Boston Red Sox will almost certainly be at the top of the list of the teams interested. Another Rays player who could be on the move: Catcher Danny Jansen, whom the team signed last offseason to a two-year, $8.5 million free-agent contract with a club option for 2027. If Jansen goes, the Rays could backfill with another catcher." If Boston is going to make a big addition, this absolutely should be it.
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