Now that the Nets have “gone fishing”, and Net coach PJ Carlesimo has been released, they are in the market for a new coach. As we mentioned here before, Phil Jackson was mentioned as a target when Avery Johnson was fired earlier this season, but Jackson has stated that he wants a Pat Riley type-role, where he can oversee a team, and not have to coach full-time. With Billy King in place at GM, that can’t happen, so scratch Jackson off the list, unless he wants to coach part-time, and the Nets can appease him with a unique proposition.

So who else is a candidate? Steven A. Smith suggests that Larry Brown (who coached the Nets in the 80′s), Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and current associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Brian Shaw would get called. Jerry Sloan’s name has been mentioned, with his former sparring partner Deron Williams saying,“I’d love to play for Coach Sloan again” .

While some of those names might lead to success, (especially that of Doc Rivers), there is one name that has been for the most part, unspoken. And that would be former Knick legend, Patrick Ewing.

Patrick said he would love to coach the Nets as far back as 2009, when the team was still in New Jersey, and what better way to bother the rival Knicks than by taking one of their own, and all-time great and turning him against them?

Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing looks on during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Ooooh, it’s a juicy scenario, and one that will grab headlines. Something that Nets owner, Mikhail Prokorov loves to do.

Prokorov loves to tweak the Knicks. We know this. We knew this ever since Prokhorov bought the team with his statement, “We will turn Knicks fans into Nets fans”. We knew this when the billboardappeared over Madison Square Garden in 2010.

Prokhorov wants his Nets to overshadow the long-time number one home team Knicks. And he will do anything to do it. He’s spent millions to sign a truckload of new players and build his team into a winner. He succeeded, to a point. They were winners in the regular season, but sputtered in the playoffs.

The danger with this scenario is that Patrick has no head coaching experience. And this hire could easily turn against them if the team flounders, but I think the Nets will at least give Ewing an interview. That alone will send shock waves through Madison Square Garden, and at least give the Nets back page mentions for at least a day.

For the record, I love the idea. Patrick has wanted to coach for many years, and yet no one has given him a shot. Now to have a shot with the Knicks’ closest rivals would be attention-grabbing and newsworthy. Short of nabbing Phil Jackson, can you come up with a more intriguing scenario?

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Hey Patrick Ewing fans, whether Patrick becomes the Nets coach or not, we’ve still got your Ewing Basketball T Shirts on sale here.