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New York Knicks: Outside the Box Options for Head Coach

By Maxwell Ogden

Feb 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; World player Kristaps Porzingis (6) shakes hands with World head coach Ettore Messina (L) prior to the Rising Stars Challenge basketball game against the U.S. at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; World player Kristaps Porzingis (6) shakes hands with World head coach Ettore Messina (L) prior to the Rising Stars Challenge basketball game against the U.S. at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 23, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek watches from the sideline against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek watches from the sideline against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Jeff Hornacek

The general feeling around the NBA is that Jeff Hornacek was given the proverbial short end of the stick with the Phoenix Suns. He led the team to overachieving seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively, but issues in the locker room and a rush of injuries to key players crippled Phoenix in 2015-16.

The expectation is that Hornacek will coach again in the NBA, and the New York Knicks are a rational option.

Hornacek was handed an unconventional roster in Phoenix that featured an abundance of point guards and minimal help along the interior. Some combination of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, Brandon Knight, and Isaiah Thomas were thrust into the starting lineup at some point during the Hornacek era.

In all fairness, Hornacek played under similar circumstances as an undersized shooting guard who excelled as a facilitator.

What he also excelled at was spacing the floor and distributing in the pick-and-roll—a strategy the Knicks have great potential in utilizing with Kristaps Porzingis and Robin Lopez. He’s also a better defensive coach than his Phoenix days suggest.

A man who credits his coaching strategies to Cotton Fitzsimmons and Jerry Sloan, per ESPN, Hornacek could be successful in New York.

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