When Patrick Ewing interviewed for the head coaching position with the Detroit Pistons in June it signified that the Knicks great took another step towards leading a team on the sidelines.

For so many years Ewing led teams on the court, but on the sidelines, by his own admission, he may have been the NBA version of the guy who played Norm on Cheers.

Typecast.

“It’s disappointing that I haven’t moved to the next step to getting a head coaching job, but all I can do is keep working hard and keep on preparing myself for whenever that opportunity arises. A lot of people try to pigeonhole me into just a big man’s coach and I’m just not a big man’s coach. I’m a coach.”

But you know what? Maybe he is just a big man coach. If this is so then why not bring him to a team that has young big men? The fact is there aren’t very many young big men who have a counter post move let alone the 15 that Ewing mastered.

Ewing learned to become great through hard work. His work ethic was legendary. But does he possess the other skills a coach needs to be successful? I would have to think he’s as viable as Kevin McHale don’t you?

If put in the right situation it’s hard to imagine he couldn’t be successful. Look at the job openings coming up at the end of the year. You’d assume Charlotte maybe Sacramento and Washington. The Clippers? The Knicks?

Right, the Knicks. It’s amazing that it took me that long to mention him re-connecting with his old team. His old franchise.

What we’ve seen from the Knicks over the years is that they haven’t been willing to go the nostalgic route. But if for some reason the job opens up this summer it would hard to imagine Ewing NOT getting an interview.

He still has blood and sweat somewhere buried on that floor.