Patrick Ewing On Knicks' Job: 'If I Get A Call, I'm Ready'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Now that the Thunder's season is over, Knicks President Phil Jackson is patiently waiting for Derek Fisher to decide if he wants to make the move from the court to the sideline and take over as head coach of the 'Bockers.
Fisher has said he will take his time in deciding what his next move will be, and he may come to the conclusion that it's too soon to jump into coaching. It's conceivable that he could take another head-coaching job or even decide to play another season.
After Steve Kerr rejected New York in favor of Golden State, it became unclear who would fill former coach Mike Woodson's shoes.
It's extremely unlikely that Patrick Ewing will get the call from the Zen Master, but if he did, the Knicks legend would jump at the opportunity.
"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."
The Hall of Fame player has a very impressive resume despite never having been a head coach. Since 2002 he's been an assistant with the Wizards, the Rockets and the Magic. He's currently the associate head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.
The 11-time All-Star, who played for the Knicks from 1985-2000, interviewed to be the head coach of the Bobcats and Pistons in 2011 but didn't get either job. The Knicks offered him the head-coaching position of their D-League affiliate in 2012, but the 51-year-old turned it down.
"I think a lot of people do have a bias against big men," Ewing 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."
Though he hasn't been a part of the Knicks' organization in 14 years, a piece of the big man's heart remains in Manhattan. He said he feels "like I'm a big part of the Knicks' organization even though I'm working in Charlotte."
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