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Camby is key to Knicks' season
Updated: Friday November 03, 2000 9:00 AM
Marcus Camby has to step up for the Knicks. He's the most important player New York has, and he has to give them a big year. Starting at center, Camby pulled down only four rebounds and scored five points in the Knicks' opening-night loss to the Sixers. He doesn't have to score a lot, but he has to give them 10 or 11 rebounds a game. As for their other big men, I've never been a Luc Longley fan, and he's going to be a little too blasé for Jeff Van Gundy. But he has size, and you need big bodies. He and Travis Knight will give them some big bodies, but Camby is the key to that team. Van Gundy has to make him feel like he's an important part of the club.
Another key for the Knicks is the point position. Charlie Ward really improved over the last half of last season and in the playoffs, so I see no reason to play Latrell Sprewell there. He's not comfortable at that position, and you'd take away his strengths by playing him at the point. He's great around the basket; he's good going to the hoop. New York is still my pick to win the East. They have three people who can score down the stretch -- Sprewell, Allan Houston and Glen Rice -- and they've been there before. Heat don't have room to maneuverMiami's pickup of forward A.C. Green was a good one -- Pat Riley's familiar with him, and he's a good guy who can give them some size. But I don't see the Heat doing much else to try to replace Alonzo Mourning this season. The Joe Smith situation is lingering, but no one knows what's going to happen, and there's just no one else out there. They mortgaged their bench for their starting five, so to make a trade, the Heat would have to deal one of their key players. Even so, they'll still be right in there, because the East is so open this year.
Ewing should make himself at homeA team whose offseason moves put them in a better position in the middle is Seattle. And it's a good situation for their newly acquired center as well. Outside of Shaquille O'Neal, there aren't a whole lot of challenges awaiting Patrick Ewing in the West.
In addition to putting Vin Baker in his proper position at power forward, Ewing also helps his team by demanding a double-team, rebounding, and providing a physical presence. It's a question of whether he can hold up physically. But even if he's not totally healthy, Ewing is still better than 90 percent of the centers in the league.
Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/Sports Illustrated's "This Week in the NBA."
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