NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks, looking for a backup to center Patrick Ewing, made their second trade in two days Wednesday, sending guard Maurice Cheeks to Atlanta for Tim McCormick.
After acquiring Xavier McDaniel from Phoenix Tuesday, the Knicks continued to bolster their frontcourt by trading for the 7-foot McCormick, who averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds with the Hawks last year.
'This gives us a solid reserve center behind Patrick Ewing,' said Knicks Vice President of Player Personnel Ernie Grunfeld. 'McCormick is an experienced player who can give Patrick a breather for 10 to 12 minutes. We had a need and we filled it.'
Four months after New York selected UNLV guard Greg Anthony in the first round of the NBA draft, first-year Knicks Coach Pat Riley made it known that veteran Mark Jackson would start and that he would probably trade one of his guards.
Cheeks, 35, came over to the Knicks from San Antonio midway through the 1989-90 season after playing 11 years with Philadelphia. Cheeks, the NBA's all-time leader in steals with 2,194, averaged 5.7 assists and 7.8 points last season.
The Knicks sent guard Trent Tucker, center/forward Jerrod Mustaf, and a second-round draft pick in 1992 and 1994 to the Suns for McDaniel Tuesday.
