The New York Knicks now have an X-man to play alongside their man on the spot, Patrick Ewing.
Xavier McDaniel, who didn't live up to the Phoenix Suns' expectations after they acquired him last Dec. 7, was traded to the Knicks on Tuesday for second-year forward Jerrod Mustaf, veteran guard Trent Tucker and two second-round draft picks."I've been working on my X's and O's and we just took care of one of the X's," Knicks coach Pat Riley said. "It was a trade we had to make. We needed to complement the outside shooting of Kiki Vandeweghe and bring in a post-up small forward. It's a great trade for the Knicks because it brings in one of the best small forwards in the league, a real front-line player."
The deal could take some off the spotlight off Ewing, the embattled All-Star center whom the Knicks admit is available for trade. McDaniel, a 6-foot-7 forward, will start on the front line with Ewing and Charles Oakley.
"Patrick is a dominant player, which will help me, and Oak and I won't have to beat up on each other anymore," McDaniel said.
McDaniel was expected to strengthen the Suns at both ends of the court, but he did not provide the necessary muscle to help the team succeed in the playoffs. Phoenix, which won one more game in 1990-91 than it did the previous season, was ousted in the first round.
"I was shocked when I heard," McDaniel said. "I thought something might happen, but I didn't know when. New York was one of the places I wanted to be traded to if I was traded."
McDaniel averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Suns in 66 games. For the entire season, he averaged 17.0 points and 6.9 rebounds and has career totals of 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
"We're excited about obtaining a front-line player, a legitimate 20-point scorer and a go-to guy," Knicks player personnel director Ernie Grunfeld said. "He's a tough, physical player, a great warrior."