Patrick Ewing is hoping to have his name thrown into the mix for the Knicks head coaching job, telling the New York Daily News that if Phil Jackson and the franchise he spent 15 seasons powering comes calling, "I'm ready."
Currently an associate head coach for Michael Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats, the Hall of Fame center and arguably most recognizable Knick in team history added "I'd love to go back to New York. I'm not sure what is going to happen in terms of who they're going to have fill that void"
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After a 17-year playing career, Ewing has been an assistant since 2003 and also previously interviewed for the head coaching gigs in Charlotte and Detroit. Always outspoken, Ewing has been brutally honest in expressing his frustrations given his overall lack of opportunities. One-time teammate Mark Jackson and more recently former contemporaries Jason Kidd and Steve Kerr have all been given coaching chances without ever spending any time as an assistant the way Ewing has.
"Yes, I think a lot of people do have a bias against big men," he said. "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."
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Of the four coaching openings across the league, Ewing hasn't been interviewed or prominently mentioned for any them. But he vows not to let any of it get him down.
"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," he said.
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