By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

Phil Ford, one of the last remnants of Larry Brown's miserable tenure at the Garden, has left to go home, joining the Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant coach. Last August, Patrick Ewing decided to end his relationship with the Houston Rockets. Now people can't help but bring up Ewing's name in connection with the vacant chair on head coach Isiah Thomas' bench.

As much as we all want Ewing back and as valuable as he will be to the players -- as someone who knows his way around the venue, the city and the organization -- it will not be that simple to bring him back to New York. This past season, the coaching staff was made up of Herb Williams, Dave Hanners, Mark Aguirre, Brendan Suhr, George Glymph and Ford, a pretty full slate if ever there was one. Yet Thomas isn't even sure that he will fill the vacancy created by Ford's departure. Translation: Ford and Hanners -- the other leftover from the Brown era -- weren't fired outright after Brown left because owner James Dolan didn't want to eat the remaining four years on their respective contracts.

One of the remaining coaches would either have to be fired or resign, and I don't see that happening. But not getting Ewing in some capacity would be another huge mistake piled on top of what is already the garbage dump at the Garden. Ewing doesn't have to be a coach, he can be a special advisor with a shot at a coaching gig when Hanners' contract runs out in two seasons.

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