Ewing's star fades, but joy flourishes.(Chicago Tribune)

The numbers say Patrick Ewing has never done it more poorly.

Shooting percentage: A career-low 40.5 percent, far below his 50.6 percent career figure. Scoring: A career-low 9.1 points per game, more than 13 below his career average (22.2). Rebounding: 8.0 per game, another career-low number. He's starting, averaging 26.3 minutes per game, about 10 fewer than his career average (35.7), but rarely finishing.

So a recent encounter with Ewing turned out to be somewhat surprising. Known for his brooding as a longtime member of the Knicks, as a guy who viewed journalists as he might a paper cut on a hangnail, Ewing smiled easily and made small talk.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked. "Looks like someone wants to get out of Chicago in the winter."

We were in Phoenix and it wasn't a bad guess. Ewing was heading toward the weight room before the game and said we'd talk afterward. As he walked past, he nodded. "See you later," he said.

None of this makes sense in the expected way. Ewing, discarded by the Knicks after 15 seasons as the franchise's most productive player, has become a role player on a team struggling to make the playoffs. Once the hub of his team's offense, Ewing is now more of a replaceable spoke.

The offense operates through the perimeter and guard Gary Payton. Ewing splits time with Vin Baker at center, rarely finishing games. Ewing is what all the great players always said they never wanted to be: Famous in name only.