Ewing Has Become a Candidate for MVP

The drumbeats in New York for Patrick Ewing are growing louder and louder, and they carry the message to the rest of the country -- “MVP, MVP, MVP.”

Everyone seems to be jumping on the Ewing bandwagon.

Ewing receives considerable publicity from the New York media, but it is the recognition from his peers as the National Basketball Association’s best player that is far more meaningful.

During the Knicks’ visit to Los Angeles Dec. 3, the Lakers’ Magic Johnson, a two-time MVP, gave Ewing his endorsement.

“He’s got everyone in the country talking about him, not just New York,” said Johnson. “The biggest difference I can see in his game is his tenacity. I thought he was playing about as good as he could last season, but this year he’s been just unbelievable.

“Earlier in his career, he would fade into the background occasionally. No more. He hurts you inside and outside. His turnaround jumper is deadly, and he finds the open man when he’s double-teamed. I don’t know what turned the switch on, but it’s going to be awful hard to turn it off.”

Ewing long has been an intimidating presence on defense, but it is the tremendous improvement on offense in raising his scoring average to 29.6 -- from a career mark of 21.2 entering the season -- that has impressed rival players. At his current rate, he should eclipse the Knicks’ scoring record of 2,303 set by Richie Guerin in the 1961-62 season.

“With the numbers he’s putting up now, Ewing is carrying his team,” said the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan, the NBA scoring leader. “Injuries slowed him early in his career, but now he’s definitely arrived. There’s no question that he’s the MVP at this point. Certainly, there are no centers playing any better.”

Ewing also made a lasting impression on former Soviet Union star Sarunas Marciulionis after scorching the Golden State Warriors for 44 points and 24 rebounds in Oakland, Calif., Nov. 29.

“He’s a machine, just a machine,” said Marciulionis, an NBA rookie. “Never in the world have I seen anything like that.”

Ewing’s sudden emergence on offense -- featuring a turnaround jump shot as potent as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s retired sky hook -- mostly is credited to his new Coach, Stu Jackson, who has adopted a simple philosophy.

“Our game plan is to get Patrick the ball,” said Jackson. “He’s our first and last option.”

It was not always that way. At Georgetown, Hoyas Coach John Thompson perceived his 7-footer as a clone of Boston Celtics great Bill Russell.

Thompson convinced Ewing he best served the Hoyas as a shot blocker and rebounder. Ewing averaged 15.3 points in four seasons at Georgetown, sharing the shooting with the likes of Reggie Williams and David Wingate.

Hubie Brown, Ewing’s first professional coach when he joined the Knicks in 1985 as the No. 1 lottery pick, also kept tight reins on Ewing, viewing him as the eraser in his trapping defense.

On offense, Brown may have slowed Ewing’s maturation by switching him to power forward and moving Bill Cartwright into the middle. It was a strategy that contributed to Brown’s dismissal in 1966.

Rick Pitino, a Brown disciple, found more use for Ewing’s offensive potential, but his failure to stress a half-court offense limited his center’s scoring opportunities and led to the Knicks’ upset by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern playoff semifinals in May.

Now, Ewing is the focal point of the Knicks’ offense, and he has risen to the challenge.

“If there’s any way to stop me, I’m not telling,” Ewing said. “If I get the ball, I’m going to score, but if the shot’s not there, I’ll pass it out. That’s particularly true in the last quarter. I have to defeat the double teams in different ways.”

The change in Ewing off the court has been equally dramatic. Once perceived as a sullen, uncooperative athlete highly suspicious of the media, he has adjusted to the relentless spotlight in New York. He now makes himself readily available after games, always courteous, if not expansive with his answers.

“That wasn’t Patrick’s fault,” Johnson said of Ewing’s past image. “It was how he was perceived. He was just being himself. Remember, in college, they seldom let him do interviews. But success can create a lot of changes in a person’s personality.”

On the floor, Ewing’s demeanor remains as intense as that of the Washington Bullets’ Bernard King, who wears a perpetual scowl.

Discussing his national rave reviews, Ewing said, “I’m greedy. I want the MVP award, but I know I can’t get that without us winning big.”

With the Knicks in first place, Ewing has a jump on the MVP competition. Said Knicks reserve guard Trent Tucker, “If Ewing keeps it up, I know we’ll still be playing in June.”