The Knicks recently extended an offer to Patrick Ewing to become the coach of their D-League team, but Ewing declined. The Hall of Famer has served as an NBA assistant coach over the last eight seasons for four different teams, and a source close to him reportedly says he did not appreciate the offer.
“Patrick has paid his dues,” the source said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “He was a little insulted.”
Ewing has always wanted to return to New York and said that he would “love to interview” for any job that allows him to return to New York or New Jersey, but the Knicks have passed him up multiple times. They currently have an assistant coaching position open at the NBA level, but Ewing is not believed to be in consideration.
After the Magic fired Stan Van Gundy, they also chose not to bring Ewing back for the 2012-2013 season.
Going from an assistant NBA coaching job to a head coaching job in the D-League isn’t exactly making the jump from the Magic bench to the man in charge at a college like Kentucky. It’s a downward move, so we can understand why Ewing turned it down. We can also understand why he’s insulted that the Knicks would offer him that position but don’t feel he has any value to them as an assistant coach. After eight years, the Knicks’ all-time leading scorer feels he has earned the right to move upward or laterally.
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