The New York Knicks will interview former NBA power forward Juwan Howard as they continue their search for a head coach. Howard has a ton of connections around the league.
Howard was teammates with current New York assistant coach Howard Eisley on the Dallas Mavericks during the 2000-01 season. As noted by Stefan Bondy, one of Howard’s college coaches was current Knicks general manager Scott Perry. Looking at the big man’s background, he has ties all around the league.
At one point, he was on the same NBA roster as Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth as well as Indiana Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard, though neither are currently looking to make a change at head coach. His college teammate Rob Pelinka is currently the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Phoenix Suns executive James Jones played with Howard on the Miami Heat, which means the Suns could also potentially target the former big man as they try to fill their vacancy. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was also on the Heat with Howard, works in the front office for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Other former teammates who have a coaching history that could join him on any staff include Adrian Griffin (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nick Van Exel (Memphis Grizzlies), David Vanterpool (Portland Trail Blazers) and James Posey (Cleveland Cavaliers).
The list also includes Darvin Ham (Atlanta Hawks), Jamaal Magloire (Toronto Raptors), God Shammgod (Dallas Mavericks), Rafer Alston (Minnesota Timberwolves), John Lucas III (Timberwolves) and NBA coaching hopeful Tim Legler.
If he is hired by the Knicks, he will likely look outside his immediate contact book to fill out his staff. But his connections to these candidates does make him even more marketable because many of the individuals mentioned are high-profile, top-tier assistants.
