Respecting Patrick Ewing's Career

While the New York Knicks have a bright future, they can't truly embrace what's possible without understanding the past. Before Jalen Brunson finally breaks the glass ceiling of the Indiana Pacers or perhaps the Boston Celtics, remember the 1990s Knicks is imperative to their journey. Patrick Ewing, a Knicks legend and the catalyst for numerous great defenses of the 1990s, retired on this day in 2002.

Although Ewing didn't retire with the Knicks, he never left the fans' hearts. During his retirement announcement, his one burning desire, primarily for the Knicks, revealed a deep career regret.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help bring a championship here…I hope one day New York will have a champion."

The 1990s weren't for the faint of heart. Aside from the borderline dirty defense played at the rim, mainly between the Knicks and the early portion of the aforementioned decade Detroit Pistons, the 1990s ultimately belonged to Michael Jordan.

Many NBA legends, such as Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, and Ewing, lack championship hardware due to Jordan's dominance.

However, although he never grasped the Larry O'Brien trophy, he earned two trips to the NBA Finals. In fairness to Ewing, no Knicks team has reached the Conference Finals since 2000. While it's hard for Knicks' fans to come to grips with their team not winning an NBA championship since 1973, faulting Ewing renders it unfair.

Related: Jalen Brunson Symbolizes Franchise Consistency

Without Ewing, the Knicks don't even sniff the NBA Finals. Moreover, without Ewing, perhaps Carmelo Anthony doesn't have the same affinity for the New York franchise, which leads to him never asking for a trade or signing to the team in free agency.

Ewing is the catalyst for the Knicks, and without him, the current roster lacks a modern benchmark for measuring success.