Ewing Jr. is the son of a franchise legend and was drafted in the second round in June by the Sacramento Kings and sent to Houston in the Ron Artest trade. To get him, Knicks president Donnie Walsh only had to give up the draft rights to Frederic Weis. Remember him?

Weis is the oversized French center the Knicks drafted with the 15th overall pick in 1999. He showed up for summer league, and returned home when it became clear his lack of skill might prove embarrassing.

"Coming to the Knicks, and hopefully being able to contribute, means a lot to me," Ewing Jr. said. "It has always been my dream to play for this team. My goal is to show the coaches that I can play and do all that I can to help the team win some games."

Since the organization now has 16 players under contract, nothing is guaranteed.

Ewing Jr. is a 6-foot-8 forward who earned Big East sixth man of the year honors last season, averaging 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds a game at Georgetown. The 24-year-old was here during better days. He used to come to the gym with his namesake father and stay after practice at SUNY Purchase to go one-on-one with Marcus Camby.

"Patrick Ewing will have an opportunity here to compete for a spot on our roster," Walsh said in a statement. "He is a solid defensive player and a very good athlete."