5 reasons Patrick Ewing needs to coach the Memphis Grizzlies
By John Buhler
3. Would make the most of his first head coaching opportunity.
This is a key part to the equation on why Ewing is a great fit for the Grizzlies: he’ll be able to get his players to keep buying in to the underdog mentality. While Ewing was largely unrelated as a dynamic back-to-the-basket seven-footer for the Knicks for years, not being able to get opportunities to be an NBA head coach have both certainly humbled him and made him increasingly eager to make the most of the opportunity should he get the chance.
It doesn’t matter that he was a fantastic player, worked on a ton of remarkable coaching staffs, been around a ton of great basketball minds, or even solidified a solid reputation as a player development coach, front office executives still look at him as a guy that can only coach the dying position of center and thus has no business being an NBA head coach.
It would be foolish to continue to rile up the big guy because when he gets his chance to lead an NBA team, expect that team to play with a ton of tenacity and aggressiveness that will make the league take notice that executives should have never doubted what Ewing can do on the sidelines.
Memphis already has somewhat of an us-against-the-world mentality as one of the few teams that plays with an ultra-throwback style of play. It’s eerie how much it is reminiscent of how Ewing’s Knicks teams played under Riley and later under Van Gundy.
Even if the coaching acumen and plethora of coaching experience doesn’t do enough to sell the Grizzlies on Ewing being a finalist for the job, his status as being an overlooked head coaching candidate could prove huge for the Grizzlies going forward. Nobody wants a head coaching gig more than Ewing and he’ll give it his all if given the opportunity.
Next: 2. Defensive-minded coach.