From the Sidelines: Is '97-'98 finally the year for the Knicks?

On the diamond, the most feared pitching rotation in the Major Leagues was bruised and battered, as the Atlanta Braves' National League dynasty was trampled by the Florida Marlins' march towards their destiny of claiming the ultimate prize.

On the gridiron, the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Pittsburgh Steelers of the Amateur Football Conference have the potential to pose the greatest threat of the decade to the NFC's stranglehold on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Nowhere in the professional sporting world, however, is parity greater than in the National Basketball Association. The class of the league entering the season, the Chicago Bulls, find themselves in lowly eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Scottie Pippen is threating to walk like an Egyptian, and Dennis Rodman is threatening to dress like the Bangles. The tenants of the United Center may have recognized their impending doom when they released a videotape of the five Bulls championships rather than wait for Michael Jordan & Co. to collect their first ring for their second hand.

Without question, the potential end of the Bulls' reign presents the greatest opportunity for the New York Knickerbockers. With a nucleus of Patrick Ewing, 35, and Charles Oakley, 34, and bench players such as Buck and Herb Williams, 37 and 40, respectively, common sense says that the Knicks don't have many more years before they follow the Cowboys to the depths of rebuilding.

This past off-season, the Knicks mortgaged their future, trading three previous first-round draft picks for two role players, Chris Mills and Chris Dudley, TD '87. Dudley, the only NBA player bleeding Yale blue, is a proven defensive and rebounding specialist and has given Ewing's aged knees much-needed rest. Moreover, Dudley's adventures at the foul line have instantly made him a fan-favorite in an unforgiving city. Mills, however, has not been the offensive force that Knicks were looking for. He is a consistent outside shooter, but has yet to show his teammates any ability to penetrate the paint or score in the low post, and was unspectacular at best when he had the opportunity to start in the place of an injured Larry Johnson.

Perhaps the Knicks' greatest hope, outside of Ewing's going glass from 17 feet, lies in the squad's youngest member, Allan Houston, 26. Since arriving from Detroit, Houston has not been the player that Knick brass had hoped for. A 20-plus point performer when he played with the Pistons, he is averaging only 11.9 points per game this season and has been hampered by his slow-healing shooting wrist. Nearly every half-court offensive set continues to go through Ewing, and Houston is not playing with enough confidence to assert himself.

On the bench is the defending Sixth-Man Award winner John Starks, who is consistent only in his inconsistency. He steps onto the court with his mind set on changing the pace of the game, and he usually accomplishes that goal. Unfortunately, too often he does so to the dismay of his teammates, by heaving up 26-foot prayers with 14 seconds remaining on the shot clock and no rebounders under the basket.

Nonetheless, the Knicks' greatest weakness is not their personnel, but their brains. Witness tri-captain Ewing leaving the bench in a Game Five brawl versus Miami, and tri-captain Oakley throwing a punch to earn himself a one-game suspension last week. Further, they are too predictable on offense, and Ewing's cranky demeanor when he has been left out of the offense limits Coach Jeff Van Gundy's ability to maneuver.

The offensive playbook has doomed Van Gundy's team in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. The best team in the NBA for 36 minutes, in each of their six losses, they have been outshot in the final quarter. In fact, New York has held the lead going into the fourth quarter in five of its six losses. Moreover, why is Chris Childs always on the court in the final minutes of the game? He hasn't proven to be an acceptable floor leader, and though Childs should not be blamed exclusively for the Knicks' fourth quarter breakdowns, he has done very little to alleviate Ewing's burden.

Charlie Ward is the appointed starter, and since the Knicks have been the best team for the first three quarters, couldn't one surmise that he has something to do with it? Ward's play has earned him the right to be on the court in the decisive moments. He puts the pressure on the opposition defense by pushing the ball upcourt and he has the savvy to pull it back out and operate like a Heisman trophy winning quarterback (which he was), picking apart the secondary.

With the Heat's Alonzo Mourning and the Bulls' Pippen sidelined with injuries, the Knicks can establish themselves as the team to beat in June. But they will not get over the proverbial hump unless they play with their heads. Ewing must be one of many offensive threats, rather than the only option, and Van Gundy must sustain his formula of a harrassing help defense throughout the remainder of the season.

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