Patrick Ewing is getting a job interview with the Charlotte Bobcats, who are owned by his good friend, Michael Jordan.
That is the word from Steve Reed of the Associated Press in Charlotte, where the Bobcats just set an NBA record for worst winning percentage in league history (.106) after going 7-59, losing their final 23 games.
The interview will be Ewing’s second for a head coaching position. He had a sitdown with the Detroit Pistons last year before they hired Lawrence Frank.
I discussed the merits of Ewing’s candidacy, and whether it is a good idea for Jordan to hire another close friend, during this interview on 610 The Fan in Charlotte earlier today.
The Bobcats have interviewed Golden State assistant coach Michael Malone and Bobcats assistant Stephen Silas, son of former Charlotte coach Paul Silas, the AP reported. The Bobcats are also interested in Indiana assistant Brian Shaw, Cleveland assistant Nate Tibbetts and St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap. It’s expected the Bobcats will talk to several other candidates before making a decision.
Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins and general manager Rich Cho are leading the coaching search and have been on the West coast this week where they interviewed Malone.
Malone interviewed for the Warriors head coaching position last year but lost out to Mark Jackson. Despite not getting the job, he was hired as an assistant coach on Jackson’s staff and is one of the highest paid assistants in the NBA at $750,000 per year. His father, Brendan, has worked as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
For more of Reed’s AP story, click here.