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Knicks: Five Biggest Challenges Facing Jeff Hornacek This Season

By Geoffrey Campbell

Jan 15, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek reacts from the sideline as they take not the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-103. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek reacts from the sideline as they take not the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-103. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Managing Minutes and Overall Health

Jeff Hornacek will have a challenge in managing minutes for his new team. In total, Derrick Rose has played 166 games over the last four seasons.

While he did play 66 games last year, every New York Knicks fan will be holding their collective breaths when he falls or bumps knees with another player.

The Knicks will have to develop some type of maintenance plan, perhaps keeping Rose at 30 minutes or less per game, with a planned game off every two weeks or so.

Additionally, Joakim Noah played just 29 games last year. He’ll need some of the reserve players to give him adequate rest. Hornacek  will need to rely on unproven players like Willy Hernangomez, Marshall Plumlee, and second-year Knick Kyle O’Quinn to spell Noah at the center position.

Kristaps Porzingis is likely to see some time there, as well, but the point remains that the Knicks bench will play a vital role in keeping Rose and Noah active and healthy for the season.

Furthermore, it seems that Carmelo Anthony’s minutes are always near the top of the league. During the last four seasons, Anthony has averaged 36.6 minutes per game.

While the numbers are slightly skewed, as Anthony sat half of the 2014-15 season, he still has a lot of tread on his tires.

Hornacek is going to play Anthony a lot, and he should. If Lance Thomas can continue his play from last year and Mindaugas Kuzminksas proves a serviceable player, however, then Anthony may be able to play 70-plus games this season.

In a previously mentioned article, Dave King talks about Hornacek’s ability to manage minutes and rotations with the Suns.

"“Rotations were good, but not great. Lots of fans were scratching their heads – but we/they always do that in a loss. He really frustrated the players, sometimes, not from benching them but from trying to play too many guys too many minutes. He gave guys chances to excel, and then moved on to another one if they didn’t. That left guys like Gerald Green, Archie Goodwin, etc, very frustrated. But then again, those guys don’t really deserve long term regular minutes on a winner.”"

Its clear that Hornacek struggled to establish discipline with a young team.

Although it’s concerning to hear that he played “guys too many minutes,” this may not be an issue on an older team with more established players like Anthony, Noah, Courtney Lee, and Rose.

Next: Trust the process

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