Usually, being friends with the head of the company is the best way to get a job.
But it was just the opposite for Patrick Ewing. The legendary Knicks player and now long-time assistant coach is near the top of the list of guys who should get a seat in the big chair soon (along with Brian Shaw, Mike Malone, Mike Budenholzer and a few others).
And Ewing is friends with Bobcats owner Michael Jordan. So… nope, he’s out, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo.After an interview with Charlotte management, owner Michael Jordan personally reached out to Patrick Ewing to tell him he’s been eliminated as a candidate to coach the Bobcats, a league source told Yahoo! Sports….
Ewing, an assistant coach for the past five seasons in Orlando, is a close friend of Jordan’s, and that may have actually worked against the Hall of Fame center in the hiring process. Jordan has been subject to biting criticism for hiring too many cronies and “yes” men through the years, and merely inviting Ewing for the interview started to inspire those kind of shots at Jordan again.
It’s unfortunate. Those criticisms of Jordan are valid, but he has started to reform (see GM Rich Cho) and hiring Ewing would certainly have been a legitmate hire.
Ewing deserves a shot soon. And frankly, wherever he lands might well be a better situation than Charlotte (unless they win the draft lottery and the rights to Anthony Davis, then all bets are off).