The Kings coaching search was always going to be broad, and a broad search it has certainly been. Vlade Divac has already conducted interviews with four prospective head coaches including Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro, Mike Woodson and reportedly Kevin McHale.
More from A Royal Pain
- 3 Ways Chris Duarte improves the Kings chances in 2023-24
- 5 Players the Sacramento Kings never should have signed
- Bleacher Report crazily lists Kings’ All-Star as “most overrated NBA player”
- Kings and Heat fans clash on Twitter to debate All-Star players
- Sacramento Kings’ Chris Duarte playing in 2023 FIBA World Cup
More interviews are expected within the week with notable names such as David Blatt, Nate McMillan, Ettore Messina and Patrick Ewing. The last name on that list offers a lot of intrigue because of Ewing’s potential fit here in Sacramento.
Ewing has been an assistant coach in the NBA for a number of years and has more than paid his dues. His name seems to come up regularly when there are head coach openings around the league; however he has only been officially interviewed twice in his coaching career for the top job.
One of the theories as to why he has missed out on many head coaching opportunities is his preferred style of play. In a recent podcast with Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski (see below), Patrick gave some interesting insight into his potential head coaching philosophy and how the game has changed in the modern era. Ewing likes that old school style of basketball by getting the ball down low and playing inside-out.
Here's Woj podcast discussing with Ewing how he'd run a team as a head coach. https://t.co/iPVpCCv1CU
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) May 1, 2016
https://t.co/mCt2P2AswI
The last time I checked, the Kings had one of the best offensively talented big men in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal. This may be Ewing’s chance to bring back the inside-out, old school game by utilising the abilities of one of the best in the game, DeMarcus Cousins. It really does seem like a perfect fit doesn’t it?
Ewing’s philosophy will not only fit with how the Kings roster is currently constructed, but he would also be the perfect mentor for DeMarcus Cousins. You never know with DeMarcus, but he and Ewing would see eye to eye on a lot of things and this would be tremendous for the chemistry of the team. However, there is also the potential of this going the complete opposite way because it is also a possibility that the two would clash and it could get ugly. It will either go exceptionally well or very, very badly.
The Kings may be Ewing’s best chance yet to become a head coach. Ewing would not only get the ability to bring back the old school style of basketball but he would also be able to do it with the NBA’s best center in DeMarcus Cousins.
Next: The Kings are in good hands
I think it is a real possibility; now that the Hornets have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, we could see things start to heat up. As of right now, Patrick Ewing would be my favourite to become the next head coach of the Sacramento Kings; is he Vlade’s favourite too?