Why can't Patrick Ewing land NBA head-coaching job?

Howard Megdal | Special for USA TODAY Sports

BROOKLYN — Patrick Ewing didn't feel like talking about his goal, the one he has been pursuing for more than a decade: NBA head coach.

He has talked about it before. He's made no secret of his wishes, then or now.

"All I can do is continue to coach, continue to work, be good at my craft, and hopefully, one day, that will help me when and if I get that opportunity," Ewing said last season, his first as associate head coach of the then-Charlotte Bobcats under Steve Clifford.

"I enjoy coaching. You know, I feel blessed that something I enjoy doing keeps me involved in the game on a day-to-day basis."

It makes the grind easier. He wants his chance. Meanwhile, he loves the process.

So this year, he isn't talking about it anymore. He started coaching as an assistant for the Washington Wizards back in 2002. Put another way, he's been a coach for nearly as long as he played with the New York Knicks, an era that lasted from 1985-2000 and seemed to go on forever.

But this is Ewing now, standing a few feet away from Bismack Biyombo hours before the game against the Brooklyn Nets, his demeanor a combination of fun and focus. Ewing kept breaking out into that smile those who know him know well but is missing from the scowling portrayal of Ewing that dates back to his playing days.

Still, though, Ewing never took his eyes off Biyombo, making sure he followed through on the drill — stop, turn — the shot Ewing so often put in the hoop during his playing days and now has helped a new generation of NBA players master.

Still he waits.

"He's not at all a self-promoter," Clifford, his boss and one of his best friends, told USA TODAY Sports. Clifford is one of many of colleagues who try to compensate by going out of their way to speak on Ewing's behalf. "We were together in Houston and in Orlando. And both times, when Jeff called him to come to Houston, and Stan called him to come to Orlando, his big thing was, 'I'll come as long as I'm doing everything everybody else is doing.' A lot of guys don't want all the work. He embraced all the work. But I don't think that story gets out there because he doesn't worry about it."

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Ewing is relentless at practice. He breaks down video. He does more than just bring out the best in Al Jefferson, one of the NBA's few remaining back-to-the-basket centers. He does the same for Kemba Walker, a point guard who has little more than Big East Conference collegiate heroics in common with Ewing.

"He's a great communicator with the players," Clifford said. "He has a ton of knowledge. And he communicates with them in such a way that it isn't just about, say, a jump hook. He establishes relationships where he really coaches them."

Nor is Ewing simply trading on his reputation, allowing his résumé — top-50 NBA player, first ballot Hall of Famer — serve as a player's attention-getter. Nor is it clear he could: Biyombo was born in 1992. He was an infant in the Democratic Republic of Congo when Ewing battled Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1994 NBA Finals.

But Biyombo smiles when the subject of Ewing comes up.

"More than anything, it's just about having a better understanding of the game," Biyombo said of his interaction with Ewing. "And to have a better understanding of your teammates. He's been part of the game for a long time. He understands the game. He has a job for all of us to help us improve. I'm very thankful to have him."

Ewing has been a part of two Clifford teams now. Last year, Charlotte improved to 43-39, earning a playoff bid few expected. This season, even battling injuries to key players — Biyombo missed a month, Walker was recently cleared to practice after six weeks out — the Hornets again are seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Thisis the same franchise that went 21-61 the season before Clifford and Ewing arrived, 7-59 the season before that. It's the type of thing that usually leads to a raiding of the staff by other NBA teams with head-coach openings, particularly the top assistant.

"Things have to break your way," Clifford said. "The year I got my opportunity, there were a lot of jobs for franchises that were in a building mode, where they were going to hire a first-time head coach rather than the established coach, simply put, let's face it, because of the money. Other years, there aren't as many jobs."

Still, Ewing's received two interviews in 13 years. Even if, as Jefferson described it, point guards are assumed to know the game, and big men have to prove it, Ewing's done so. Clifford put him in charge of the Hornets' summer league team, and the results were telling.

"The first two or three games, we weren't even competitive," Clifford said. "And by the time they got through the week, just because of the way he handled it, coached them, was positive but firm. And by the end, he got them into the tournament play and won a couple of games. And it was all good coaching."

Clifford isn't his only supporter. There's a litany of players as well as coaches such as John Thompson, Jeff Van Gundy and Pat Riley, all mystified by Ewing's inability to get a chance. There will be jobs available this offseason, including one with the Orlando Magic, where Ewing finished his playing career.

"I don't know what the answer is," Clifford said. "I know he is an excellent coach, and he has more than paid his dues. If you're around him every day, you see it. I lean on him for a lot of things, the tough times. But he'll come to me. ... He helps me in every imaginable way.

"He was a committed, serious player. And that's just how he is as a coach."

Clifford will be sad to see him go, if Ewing finally gets one of the 30 jobs that exist. But he knows it's time.