Who is Patrick Ewing? What basketball fan dares to ask this question? What does this name represent? The New York Knicks himself. The best player in their history for many. Even though he could never lead the Knicks to a championship, Ewing is the greatest Knick of all time, as he leads the Knicks in almost every significant statistical category.
Ewing leads the Knicks in games, minutes, field goals attempted and made, free throws attempted and made, rebounds, steals, blocks, and points. If those stats aren't enough, he's also seventh all-time in defensive rebounds in NBA history and sixth all-time in block history in NBA history.
11-time All-Star, led the Knicks to the playoffs 13 times, and was selected to the All-NBA team seven times and the All-Defensive team three times. There's a reason his No. 33 jersey was retired by the Knicks in 2003 and why he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
An assistant coach from 2002 to 2011, he could never get a head coach position in the NBA. Seeing that opportunities were zero, he went home and became head coach at Georgetown in the NCAA. He led his team to the conference championship before calling Joe Dumars during All-Star weekend, and it was the opportunity or never for him.
Why has the 10-year-old assistant yet to be seriously considered as head coach? Mainly because there are a handful of more qualified candidates and partly because the leaders need to see him as a better candidate as leader. It's not that Patrick Ewing is a bad coach. He's just not appealing to the multitude of potential head coaches.
The franchise he played in for 15 years doesn't want him. The franchise he coached for five didn't want him and was turned down by the Charlotte Bobcats, who had one of the worst records in NBA history.
He should have been a long-time head coach in the NBA. Why did it take so long? Because many people don't think of big guys, for the most part, as smart guys. Il There are also size or race stereotypes that work against him.
Then comes the question: What are the Kings playing? This decision came out of nowhere. Nothing indicated it would be the lucky one among all the coaches available. It is now making the observations. In the low season, with a collective in ruins, it is not the ideal situation to sign a 2-year contract. Usually, temporary workers or "firefighter" coaches come during the season, but Monte McNair took this risk.
What for?
To give Ewing time to build a team. He had to ask her to align the contract end date with his. Clearly, he has two seasons to bring the Kings back to the playoffs; otherwise, both take the door.
Who is Patrick Ewing, the coach? Ewing comes from the Van Gundy coaching tree, where brothers Jeff and Stan built a system that relies on smart defense with the ball and aggressive defensive rebounding0 The idea is to prevent penetration and ensure opponents take tough shots and don't get second chances.
For Hector, this is excellent news. Ewing has guided well-known big men throughout his career as an assistant. Yao Minh, Dwight Howard, and Al Jefferson reached the heights with him.
Even though he's more of an old-school gamer, he's smart enough to know that the game has changed.
Ewing was asked about the pressure he'd face as NBA head coach.
"I don't feel no pressure. It's basketball" The happiest is Jeff Van Gundy, "which delighted his former colleague: I am very happy for him. He never cheats and never lies. He deserves it more than anyone."
Patrick Ewing arrives in Sacramento with a mission: to bring the Kings back to the playoffs. For this, he must restore confidence to a team that needs it. That's why he was chosen, and it doesn't scare him. After all, it's just basketball.
For now, the five starters have not changed from last season. Fox, Hield, Barnes, Holmes, and Hector. He knows that he has to live and die with the attack, the squad does not allow to have an iron defense. He has no plans to change his offensive system this season. This is impossible now because he may have a glaring lack of balance.
The first thing he has to do is talk to Hector and then to Fox.
(PS: The volume will take place over three or four seasons. I won't do many game scenes in the first two seasons. From 2023-2024, the serious things will begin)