Why Don’t the Knicks Give Ewing a Chance?

Get ready for a serious Knicks bombshell, the kind we weren’t supposed to have anymore. Stan Van Gundy, coach of the surprising Orlando Magic and most recently the victim of a vicious Shaq attack, has watched Patrick Ewing transform Dwight Howard’s game. Before that, under his brother Jeff, the Hall of Fame center had a similar effect on a budding Yao Ming. So why can’t the big guy get his foot in the door at Madison Square Garden?↵
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↵From The New York Post, but don’t worry, it’s direct quotes:↵↵⇥“I’m a cynical person,” Van Gundy said following the Magic’s 106-102 win at the Garden. “If they feel he’s one of the greatest players in franchise history and they’ve hired a lot of other prominent players, why won’t they even give him an interview? But on a night like tonight, they’ll want him to help him sell out the building.”↵⇥
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↵⇥Ewing was honored with six other Knicks legends with the team’s first Legacy Awards. When Isiah Thomas ran the Knicks, Ewing was not considered for any front office or coaching positions. But several teammates, including John Starks,Allan Houston, Herb Williams and Hubert Davis, either currently work for the team or have worked for the Knicks ... First-year team president Donnie Walsh interviewed former Knick Mark Jackson for the head coaching position, but did not reach out to Ewing. Walsh, who put Monday night’s awards ceremonies together, is open to hiring Ewing in the future.↵↵It’s the Mark Jackson thing that gets me. Jackson has so blatantly tried to make himself over as a serious coach-in-waiting that it’s sickening, though it was great to watch Jeff Van Gundy cut him down to size with humor, ease, and total basketball acumen. Maybe the issue is that Ewing’s proven successful primarily as a mentor for young centers; that’s the curse of specialization coming down on him. And since the Knicks aren’t thinking big men now, I guess it’s passable. But before, when Curry was around? ↵
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↵Never mind popularity. You have to ask yourself if these interviews, and positions, might not be more about personality, and B.S. exterior, than capability. And the Knicks being the Knicks, would anyone be the least bit surprised?↵