The Knicks coaching search has been entertaining to say the least. Not too many viable candidates have been keen on the possibility of taking over a team with little to no cap space and colorful personalities all over the roster. The latest we’ve heard is that Derek Fisher is now the front runner for team president Phil Jackson, but a new person has thrown their name into the Knicks coaching hat. Former Knicks icon, Patrick Ewing, has come out in public to express his interest in the job.
Now before we get all excited. Let’s take a step back. Ewing has been an assistant coach since 2002 and is currently with the Charlotte Hornets. Interestingly enough Ewing started with the Hornets in 2013, and the team made their first playoff appearance after a very long hiatus. This isn’t to say that Ewing is the sole reason that the team reached this achievement. Ewing addressed his take on whether he’s a viable head coaching candidate for the Knicks.
“I’d love to go back to New York,” Ewing said Sunday on CBS Sports Radio. “I’m not sure what is going to happen in terms of who they’re going to have fill that void, but if I get a call, I’m ready.”
“Yes, I think a lot of people do have a bias against big men. They don’t think that big men can do as good a job as point guards, I guess. They fail to realize that, yes, a point guard is the leader of the team on the offensive end, but the center is the leader of the team on the defensive end. We have to do the same thing on the defensive end that the guards do on the offensive end.”
“All I can do is continue to learn my craft, continue to do the best job I can do and learn from all of the people that I work with and work for to make sure that when I get an opportunity I’m prepared,” Ewing said, adding that he still has a home in New York and his family still lives here.”
What’s interesting about this is that Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is another big man who stands 6’10” in height with less coaching experience than Ewing. Yet he was given the opportunity to coach the Rockets after taking 2 years off from coaching. The Knicks own president Phil Jackson may not be the biggest man on the court, but he still stands 6’8″. Jackson should know about the big man struggle, since his first coaching gig was with the CBA Albany Patroons for 5 years before given the opportunity with the Bulls.
Although Ewing is a long shot coaching candidate for the Knicks, I’m sure New York fans wouldn’t mind their legend being given a chance.
[h/t