Knicks Could Use Bernard King Now

The division-leading New York Knicks have serious designs on a NBA title and consider the absence of a high-scoring small forward the missing piece to a championship team.

But there is bitter irony here. The player who perfectly fits their needs is Bullets forward Bernard King, who scorched his former team for a season-high 42 points in Madison Square Garden Jan. 9.

That triggered a scoring explosion that has seen King produce 460 points in the last 20 games to boost his average to 20.8.

In 1987, the Knicks committed themselves to rebuilding under new General Manager Al Bianchi and then-coach Rick Pitino. They opted not to re-sign King, who was coming off two years of rehabilitating his knee following career-threatening surgery in 1985.

Washington took a gamble by signing King to a two-year contract, and the Brooklyn, N.Y., native, 33, who sets an example with his intensity and work ethic, has performed beyond the Bullets’ expectations. He has rekindled memories of his vintage years with the Knicks when he was one of the most feared players in the league.

“I know it sounds crazy, but Bernard seems to be getting younger every game,” said assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik after King scored 29 in Tuesday night’s victory over the Hawks in Atlanta. “We used to worry about his defense, but why worry when he’s consistently outscoring his man?”

But to the Knicks, King, who antagonized management by rehabilitating his knee in strict privacy and ignoring home games, was regarded as an obstacle to the development of center Patrick Ewing and playmaker Mark Jackson.

And yet, when New York suddenly emerged as a title contender last season, Bianchi gave Portland a No. 1 draft pick to obtain forward Kiki Vandeweghe despite his long history of back problems.

Vandeweghe played 27 games for the Knicks last year, but has yet to play this season due to an aching back and a new malady--tendinitis in his left foot.

Only this past Monday did the two-time All-Star selection begin participating in team practices under limited conditions. But there is no indication when and if Vandeweghe might play again.

So the Knicks, with the trade deadline only hours away, are still shopping for a forward to provide more offense than incumbent Johnny Newman. Overtures to Dallas for soon-to-be free-agent Sam Perkins proved unproductive. Wednesday New York swapped point guard Rod Strickland, unhappy with his caddying role for Jackson, to San Antonio for veteran guard Maurice Cheeks.

When King was reminded of being rebuffed by the Knicks in favor of a seldom-active Vandeweghe, he smiled wryly and said, “New York is my past. I don’t even think about it anymore.”

But he seems determined to prove how mistaken the Knicks were in their judgment of both his healing powers and future worth.

Even the Bullets have been surprised by his consistency. “I regard Bernard as the consummate pro,” said Coach Wes Unseld, “but I felt he had trouble playing back-to-back games because of the knee surgery. But this year, that hasn’t been the case. He’s putting up big numbers no matter the circumstances.”

King, a 12-year veteran who says he has always experienced scoring problems early in the season, was averaging 16.3 points after the first 16 games.

“I wanted Bernard to get the other players more involved by helping out with his passing and rebounding,” said Unseld. “Naturally, his average suffered. But when we lost John Williams (knee surgery) in December, we needed Bernard to resume more of the scoring load.”

Said King: “I’ve always had a scorer’s mentality and been very aggressive in attacking the basket. But I’m also a team player, and when you’re thinking pass, you lose that split second of acceleration.

“Now I’m in a familiar role. Wes is calling more plays for me and Jeff Malone. I’m posting up like I did with the Knicks. I’ve always had great confidence in my ability to score down low, and everything has been falling into place.”

And Bianchi and the Knicks can only look on in envy and wonder what might have been if King had been allowed to maintain his New York address.