Charlotte Bobcats: Patrick Ewing and the Job He Shouldn’t Take

Charlotte is reportedly going to interview Ewing for its vacant head coaching position, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

Ewing is a close friend of Charlotte owner Michael Jordan, and several sources believe the Hall of Fame center will turn out to be a serious candidate for the opening. Charlotte will make pitches to Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Malone and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, but will likely hire its next coach from a pool of candidates like Ewing who have been less in demand for head-coaching jobs.

For Ewing and his fans, the news must taste bittersweet. He’s been ready to make the jump to a head coaching position for years, and now, for the first time, he seems to have a serious opportunity to do so.

But it’s with the Bobcats.

Ewing may not be in demand at the moment, yet beginning his head coaching career in Charlotte would be a grave mistake, should the position be offered to him.

The Bobcats are terrible. Their most promising pieces are guard Kemba Walker and big man Bismack Biyombo. Both have potential—just think how quickly Biyombo could evolve under Ewing’s watchful eye—but neither is a lock to become a franchise-type player.

Most teams without a coach, especially ones that take on first-timers, aren’t good. But the Bobcats are nowhere near getting better. There’s no clear direction in Charlotte, no guarantee that this team has a blueprint for anything.

Factor in the less than appealing market, and you have a one-way coaching ticket to hell. Is that how Ewing should start out, with a team that is not only void of proven talent, but lacks the necessary appeal to land one?

No, not at all. Beggars can’t be choosers, but they cannot be ignorant either.

Ewing is not going to be able to right the ship in Charlotte, no one can. The Bobcats are too far gone at this point. There are too many problems to resolve, and not enough talent, nor enough bankroll to generate solutions.

Ewing may not get another offer this year, but at some point, one will come. Hell, he may not even be offered the Bobcats position, a potential reality he should embrace. He will tarnish his reputation attempting to fix, what is for now, irreparable.

Fifteen to 20 years earlier, the thought of Ewing and Michael Jordan teaming up would have been enough to captivate even the most mundane and unaware of audiences, and like a dream come true for some.

Now, for Ewing’s sake at least, such a notion should remain hypothetical, because if he lands this job, it will be a little less like a dream come true and little more like a living nightmare.