Bench Him, Danno

Patrick Aloysius Ewing sits on the bench for the Orlando Magic as an assistant coach. From the like-father-like-son file comes the news that for a while anyway, Patrick Ewing Jr., a journeyman collegian and likely pro, will get to sit on the bench for the New York Knicks. Huzzah and buzz!

Not coincidentally, father Ewing holds all sorts of Knickerbocker scoring records and is a team icon. As fans and tv ratings for the current team are down by droves the team is looking for anything that recalls "glory days." Forgotten in the HOOPla is that Ewing Sr.'s preference was to shoot a lovely fadeaway jumper that mostly went in rather than do the hard work of forcing himself to the rim for dunks and the extra fouls shots that come to those who drive — which, some say, may have been why his teams always came up just a few points short of a championship. Go Jr.