The draft classes of 1984 and 1985 had far too much talent, with Hall-of-Famers ranging from Akeem Olajuwon to Clyde Drexler entering the league. Patrick Ewing was not just another star—he was the next best thing since sliced bread.
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Michael Jordan had not become a household name just yet; he was a promising rookie who showed signs of superstardom. But Ewing was different. He led Georgetown to glory, had GMs drooling over his abilities, and had the size to dominate everyone.
So when he was eligible for the draft, video evidence of the newly elected Commissioner David Stern choosing the lottery card for the first pick emerged. And all signs point to rigging—from bent corners to a frozen card, everything under the sun was discussed.
The video quality of an almost 40-year-old clip isn’t the greatest, but it does show worrying signs of the NBA already siding with viewership over sportsmanship. From then on, keen-eyed fans paid a lot of attention to the draft system and the picks, which is convoluted, to say the least.
David Stern was a young commissioner with ambition – To top it off, he was a Knicks fan
Having recently been appointed, Commissioner David Stern wanted to shake things up. The system had become stale, and he wanted to break the rut. He came up with the lottery system for the draft picks, which to this day has been implemented quite well.
Or so we think because, like any entertainment industry, the NBA runs off of viewers. Why would Patrick Ewing of the Sacramento Kings generate views? Nobody wanted to see that. The Atlanta Hawks? A decent choice, but not the best.
The Pacers? The Clippers? David Stern was hell-bent on breaking Donald Sterling’s ability to make his team fight every year for the best player. Houston already had a star big man in Hakeem Olajuwon, who was the first overall pick in the draft, and then there was Michael Jordan.
Ewing to the Knicks made just too much sense—a superstar American center who generated buzz akin to Wilt Chamberlain and Lew Alcindor? A marketable star for the most marketable franchise. Oh, and to the commisioner’s favorite team? Sign him up!
Patrick Ewing to the New York Knicks did not pan out how everyone envisioned – The promise of glory remained unfulfilled
It’s heartbreaking to see an all-time great like Ewing not end up with a ring. Not that he did not have opportunities to try; it was just that he didn’t have the luck. He got drafted right after Michael Jordan and struggled to get out of the East because of the dominant Boston Celtics.
Once that dynasty ended, basketball’s greatest dynasty of all time, the Chicago Bulls, hogged all the honors. And he faced off against other legendary big men in the two finals that did not feature Jordan and the Bulls.
One finals appearance was tough for him: Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets took the Knicks to a 7-game series. It was a tough matchup, and he would have to wait 5 more years to see another final. But this time, he couldn’t even step out onto the floor.
An ACL injury in the ECF against the Pacers derailed the Knicks’ chance at glory. The glory that evades them to this day. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Knicks’ last championship victory, and the Mecca of Basketball deserves better.
Given how much spoon-feeding the Knicks have had over the years, they overcomplicate things for themselves. Just look at how they treated Jalen Brunson’s trade. The Knicks will continue to be the richest team in the NBA, but they will have the lowest return.
