It will be weird to have Ewing as an assistant coach, but any big-man help would be OK. Olajuwon certainly would never volunteer. I like Mario. Not naturally gifted, not a shining star, but the epitome of heart. He is the "clutch" (with all due respect to David Hardisty --- did I get the name right?) in the original meaning of Clutch City.
Mario nailed the interview - he really wants the job! I'd really love to have him - above all others for the "player relations" role. He's perfect for the job - and a good fit with Jeff. Dude is smart and can relate directly to our guys. Still would like Kareem for big man coach. Seems less and less likely, but, hey - I can dream. He's the right guy for the job. It would show a real committment from JVG and Les to Yao and the city. NY and LA - what better way to guarantee great pub on both coasts! Good for team Yao and good for tix and merch. - all on the cheap. Also good for the team, good for Eggie, good for JVG. Ok, there's my case in $$ terms. Oh well. JVG will take that one on himself, I'm sure. No Ewing, please. He can take his fake glasses to the gold club and "coach" there. Thibodeau is a rising star. The other guys could get video jobs - actually. I can still hold out hope . Les - make some money! Bring in Mario and KAJ!
exactly! mario elie will bring some experience and wisdom which he can pass on to the rocs. bring back mario elie!
Come now! Patrick can show the players how to pull down the rim and stuff that C-Note home with authority!
At least with Ewing as an assistant Yao would actually have someone to go up against in practice that could actually give him a good workout...no offense to Cato or Collier of course.
Is there a limit to the assistant coaches? There should be room for Mario and Patrick, both. Mario would be super link to the glory days. JVG a bridge to more glory days.
GATER.....please give us your great analysis thingy! They have a pretty good record... Mario Elie would be great as an assistant...just to have him there. There is no limit on the number of assistants you can have, right? Well I'd rather have Mario than Patrick Ewing.
I hope P Ewing doesn't become an asisstant coach. Just what Yao needs, advice on where to get the good lap dances at the Gold Club. "The girls danced, started fondling me, I got aroused, they performed oral sex," Ewing said. "I hung around a little bit and talked to them, then I left." link
Go ahead and hire Mario I say. We need more coaches with fire and discipline and desire to coach. He has been there before so he'll have an idea how to team the players to make adjustments and how to execute in key situations.
Ewing is a hall-of-fame center whose game was being a physical low post defender who ran the floor. You can say what you want about his off court activities, but this guy came to play EVERYDAY hurt or not and had the desire to win. Don't say you don't want Ewing because the guy is a former Knick. Rivalries have to end some time, you can't keep hating a player who is long retired because of a rivalry that occured 10 years ago or because they never played for the Rockets.
I'm curious what does Ewing offer in regards to coaching? I did see Elie be pretty vocal throughout his career, so I can see why he wants to move to the sidelines, but Ewing? I'd love to think he could teach Yao some of the tricks of being a successful big man since he was arguably one of the best big men in NBA history. All jokes aside I know nothing of his coaching ability.
This pretty much sums it up for me. Bring him on and enlarge the staff, if need be. I'm all for it. Mario deserves the chance.
I know they credited Ewing with some of the improving Kwame Brown did in Washington last season. I'm not at all opposed to him joining the coaching staff if he's good at working with big men. I would think he'd be great working with Yao. Of course, I'd also love to see Elie on the coaching staff. I wouldn't mind Avery Johnson or Kenny Smith either.
If Ewing can rub off some of his stubborn Knick-loyalty onto Yao and Steve so that they are inclined to staying with the Rockets for the next 10+ seasons, BRING HIM IN !!!!
SLA - Some background info on Van Gundy's likely candidates: From the NY Post: "Chaney axed Tom Thibodeau, Steve Clifford and advance scout Andy Greer at season's end because the trio turned down contract extensions last November, most likely to keep their options open in case Van Gundy found work." http://www.nypost.com/avantgo/avantsports/35872.htm JVG (when coach of the Knicks) on Tom Thibodeau: "With the departure of Brendan Malone, Tom will take on added responsibilities in the fields of individual player development and game planning," says head coach Jeff Van Gundy. "Tom is as good as anyone in working with individual players, and the time he spends and the dedication he exhibits are unparalleled. He's just terrific." http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tom_thibodeau/?nav=page Steve Clifford interview on WFAN April 3: http://nykfanpage.com/sounds/ Listen to his comments about D and TO's around the 6:00 mark. I like this guys comments and I have a hunch the Rox under Van Gundy will force more TO's and push tempo off of those TO's. They have the athlete's and I think Van Gundy is smart enough to recognize it. My only minor concern is whether the Rox will be smart enough to understand JVG's defensive rotations in a half court set. Andy Greer: http://www.nba.com/coachfile/andy_greer/?nav=page Greer's pretty green, but as I understand it Greer actually traveled to watch upcoming Knicks opponents in person. It is a further understanding that currently about half of NBA teams use this type of advanced scouting to augment their video scouting. The Knicks did and the Rockets did not. Some of the other teams using an advanced scout who travels to opponenst games include the Mavs, Kings, Blazers, TWolves, Grizzlies, Warriors, Magic, Nets, Heat and Hawks. I'm with you in preferring Mario Elie to Patrick Ewing, but it appears that the job is Ewings if he wants it. I'm not a Knick or Ewing hater so I'll just hope Ewing does a good job imparting what he learned from John Thompson. Although, I'd probably prefer Thompson to Elie or Ewing, but that's not going to happen. As far as numbers of assistants, I believe that's a team relevant situation based upon budget and how many a team feels it needs before becoming a "circus". The Mavs do a good job of not turning all those assistants into a distraction, but they are the exception rather than the rule. It is my personal opinion that Van Gundy by his nature would prefer a closely knit group of assistants as opposed to an assistant for every aspect of the game (ie, a coach for Yao, a coach for Steve, a coach for shooting skills, a coach for defense, etc.). It appears to be Thibodeau, Clifford, Greer and one more.
