Given that Hakeem deosn't have the desire to coach, but what about the man that taught Hakeem the ropes?!?!?!?! The man that banged with Hakeem at Fonde!!!! Malone did express that he would love to teach Yao everything he knows. Not Karl you dorks. Moses One Of The Best Big Men In History Malone also said that he wouldn't push the issue with the Rockets, but if he was asked, he would definately have seriously considered the position.
I have a feeling that Rocket fans will blame Ewing whenever Griffin, Yao, or Cato make a mistake. Whenever we lose, someone we'll find a reason to fire him. He'll be the next Moochie. Book it!
Glad to have Patrick Ewing in Houston, he can defintely help out Yao and Eddie. Hopefully this wont be the last big name that lands in Houston. Now if Karl Malone could come here than Yao and Eddie would defintely be getting that A+ tudoring that they need. This is one of my "wishes" for this offseason the rest are probaly dreams that I know will not happen. C'mon prove me wrong and bring in Oneal, Brand, Malone, Miller, or odom.
I don't understand why so many people are negative about Patrick Ewing. Is it that you believe Larry Smith would have been a better assistant to coach our big men? If not Larry, who else? Dream is not eligible, Moses Malone doesn't want to coach, and Kareem wants a gig as a college head coach. Ewing is an upgrade in my opinion from what we had during the Rudy T years.
Why didn't we try to get John Thompson? His resume for big men is impressive. I'm cool with the hiring of Pat though.
Does anyone understand that Hakeem is not looking to coach? He's looking to buy buildings and new clothes. He's paid his dues to the league. He didn't want to help when he was here and he was NEVER a tutor to anyone. He'll never coach...period!! Why?? He's not a coach!!
I think the Ewing hire is very interesting. I know he played for the Knicks but it's not like he was a thorn in the Rockets side, fortunately we had Hakeem. I'm hoping that he can command the respect of the players. Other people are poking fun at him for getting free lap dances at strip clubs, but honestly how many of us would turn down a free lap dance? I'd have a hard time turning one down.
Ewing joins Rockets to assist Van Gundy By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Patrick Ewing could not resist offering a little freelance mentoring. He could have held a grudge against the team that had beaten him for the 1994 NBA championship when he was with the Knicks. He could have considered the Rockets no more than an opposing team and Yao Ming someone else's responsibility. But Ewing had seen enough of Yao to know he had something to offer. As a first-year assistant coach with the Wizards, Ewing twice pulled Yao aside to offer a few words of advice. Now he will not have to stop at just a few words. Ewing agreed to terms Wednesday to become a Rockets assistant, reuniting the 11-time NBA All-Star center with his former Knicks coach, Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy's former assistants with the Knicks, Steve Clifford and advance scout Andy Greer signed, with the Rockets on Wednesday, and assistant coach Tom Thibodeau also agreed to a contract. "He luckily got the guys he went after," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "We didn't get turned down. The other three guys have been with Jeff a long time. He's used to their coaching, and they're used to him. "I think (Ewing) loves the game. He seems to love teaching. In talking to him, it was pretty evident he was going to coach somewhere. I think he got hooked last year. It's pretty evident he has a passion for it. This is a pretty exciting team to work with. A lot of things can happen. I think Patrick sees that as well." The Wizards released Ewing from the last two months of his contract, allowing the staff to begin work together with the Rockets' summer league team next week. The Rockets will not be required to compensate the Wizards for releasing Ewing from his contract, Dawson said. "He had some definite ideas what he could do and how he could help (Yao)," Dawson said. "Jeff had gone over a lot of stuff with him before. He spent a year with Washington coaching the big men. I think he'll add a lot. "These other coaches have been on the road a long time. They're well-qualified. We're excited to have the three other guys. They were all wanted by a lot of people. We beat a lot of people out for these guys, too." Ewing and Van Gundy were unavailable for comment. But Ewing had expressed an interest in working with the Rockets even before Van Gundy had accepted the head coaching position. "I probably would like to work with their big men," Ewing said last month. "They really have an outstanding young big man and some great perimeter players." Asked what Ewing would bring, Dawson said, "A lot more points than all the others of us put together. "Patrick is a guy that knows coach Van Gundy because he played for him. He knows what to expect as far as teaching the young guys, especially working with our big guys. He's a relatively new coach, but one we're pretty glad we got. "It's instant respect. The first time (Yao) had seen an NBA game was the '94 Finals between (Hakeem) Olajuwon and Ewing. He definitely knows who he is. Anytime you have somebody that has been there, done that ... people listen to him." The roles of former Rockets assistants Melvin Hunt, Mike Wells and Dean Cooper are undefined. Dawson said each could work as scouts and video coordinators and that after the summer league, Van Gundy could consider each for a more direct role. Though they had not been officially hired, Thibodeau and Clifford had been working with Van Gundy for several weeks. "The thing I've enjoyed from my time with Jeff is he sets a great tone," Clifford said. "He leads by example in terms of his intensity, his eagerness to grow as a coach and to learn more about whatever team he's coaching and to help that team win big. Every day is a great opportunity to learn. Tom Thibodeau is the same way. "Being around (Ewing), he's a great person, and I think he'll be great for young players around here."
thanks. i like the idea that Ewing is on the Rockets bench, especially when thinking about what he can bring to our big man.
Ewing, as an assistant coach for the Wizards last season, took the time to talk basketball with Yao both times the teams played each other last season. Carroll said they came away impressed by that. You don't think Yao crushed Larry Smith in practice last season? What does that have to do with anything?
I understand where TheFreak is coming from, but since this is just an assistant coach it doesn't really bother me at all. Now, if Patrick Ewing was coming to the Rockets as a player it would take a little more getting used to, but provided he played good and showed some class then everyone would get over it pretty quickly. Bottom line, it ain't gonna hurt.
