The Sacramento Kings are continuing their hunt for their Head Coach, after firing George Karl at the end of the regular season. Karl led the Kings to a 33-49 season and yet another unsuccessful run at the Western Conference Playoffs.
Now with a new logo, new arena, and newly revamped life in Sacramento, the Kings are hoping to hire a Coach that can help bring a new-found look to this Kings roster. Many have been mentioned, including new Lakers Coach Luke Walton, Nate McMillian, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and Vinny Del Negro. We can officially add another name to that list.
According to Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports & The Vertical:
The Sacramento Kings will interview Charlotte Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing for their head coaching vacancy this week, league sources told The Vertical.
Ewing has progressed as a serious head coaching candidate in recent years, increasing in responsibilities and league-wide respect across his three seasons as Steve Clifford’s top assistant with Charlotte.
I’m sure Patrick Ewing is not focused on this at all right now. In about 2 and a half hours, his team, the Charlotte Hornets will be playing the most important Game 7 of the teams history against the Miami Heat. Ewing is an interesting choice for the Kings, because it means they’re looking for someone to mentor DeMarcus Cousins. We had first heard rumors that the Kings were okay with trading DeMarcus, and now this rumor, makes it seem less likely. Ewing spent his career with the New York Knicks, having a hall of fame career and spending the 90’s being New York’s savior, even leading them to the NBA Finals in 1999.
The Kings know and understand DeMarcus’ ability as a dominant scoring Center in this league, but his mood-swings and attitude have always held him back. With Patrick Ewing as coach, the Kings hope to create an environment where DeMarcus is focused on and developed. Ewing has proved useful in the development of many big-men including Dwight Howard in Orlando and Yao Ming in Houston. Can he prove to be what DeMarcus Cousins needs?
