Patrick Ewing has been an assistant head coach for the last 14 years of his NBA career, and has never been granted the opportunity to be a head coach. That may soon change, as it’s been announced that Ewing will interview for the head coaching vacancy in Sacramento. George Karl was fired shortly after the Kings season ended, a move many saw coming considering his rocky relationships with star Kings players Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins, and some pretty controversial comments about Kings guard Seth Curry, who is developing into a solid wing option.
Since retiring from the NBA as a player in 2000, Ewing has held assistant coaching jobs in Washington, Orlando, Houston and Charlotte, the latter of which is where he’s currently an assistant, and has been credited with the development of Hornets big man Al Jefferson, who, along with Kemba Walker, nearly led Charlotte to a first-round series victory against Miami this weekend. They fell short in Game 7.
Ewing has expressed an interested in coaching before, and believes himself to be a viable candidate for the job in New York, where he was a former player, and where his jersey hangs from the rafters as one of the most legendary basketball figures in Knicks history. Currently, Knicks president Phil Jackson is expected to be considering several candidates, including interim coach Kurt Rambis, but Ewing’s name has yet to come up in reports.
