Patrick Ewing turned down an offer to become an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets yesterday, and many are wondering if it's to get a shot at returning to the club that drafted him 19 years ago.

"The Nets offered me a good position," Ewing said over the telephone yesterday, "but I didn't think at this point in time it was the right move for me to make."

Ewing, who completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets, spoke with Knicks president Isiah Thomas three weeks ago about possibly rejoining the Knicks. However, there are no vacancies on Lenny Wilkens' staff, and Ewing is reluctant to take a front-office position with an undefined role. The last thing Ewing wants is to become a glorified mascot for the franchise.

Also, Ewing has said on several occasions that his goal is to become an NBA head coach, and his chances could be hurt if he moves into the management side of basketball.