Pro: Respected Leader
During his tenure as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Jeff Hornacek earned the respect of his players. For as strenuous as many players’ relationship was with the front office, Hornacek appeared to have a strong connection with his guys.
Per Matt Moore of CBS Sports, star point guard Goran Dragic spoke at length about his admiration of Hornacek.
"“The best thing is all the players have a great relationship with the coaching staff. We really believe in Jeff. Jeff is unbelievable, he played in this league for many years and was one of the best shooting guards. He knows how to play this game.”"
Dragic eventually requested a trade, but even then, his issues were with the front office—not Hornacek.
Hornacek does a great job of connecting with players and building strong relationships. That’s an important trait for whomever is hired as the next head coach of the New York Knicks.
New York’s media will relentlessly make a story out of nothing, which makes having a strong relationship between coach and player quite important.
In the case of Carmelo Anthony, Hornacek checks the boxes on what the nine-time All-Star described as his ideal coach. Anthony stated that he wants a coach who, “ guys accountable, but also a relationship with the player,” and that’s exactly who Hornacek is.
Hornacek comes off as the type of unflappable, but approachable coach whom Anthony would like to play for, and the media couldn’t get to.
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