Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks unexpectedly hired Jeff Hornacek to fill the head coaching vacancy. What have the players been saying about it?
The New York Knicks shocked the basketball community during the summer of 2016. One could’ve made that statement about any number of moves made by Phil Jackson, but none were quite as shocking as the hiring of Jeff Hornacek.
As the likes of David Blatt, Kurt Rambis, and Frank Vogel dominated the headlines, it was Hornacek whom Jackson chose to hire as head coach.
Hornacek comes to New York with a career record of 101-112 as a head coach. He accumulated those marks in two-and-a-half seasons as head coach of the Phoenix Suns—a team he led to severe overachievement.
Though the cynics have focused entirely on his dismissal, not enough attention has gone to the circumstances surround it.
During his first season at the helm, Hornacek overcame Eric Bledsoe missing 39 games due to injury to lead the Suns to a record of 48-34. That earned him the second-most votes on the Coach of the Year ballot.
The question is: are Knicks players believing the negative hype? Or do they see the rhyme in Jackson’s reason?
Next: Carmelo Anthony