New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek understands that rebuilding will be a long-term process. He’s prioritizing the future over short-term glory.
The New York Knicks have made it abundantly clear that the current focus is on building for the future. The organization has exhausted its resources to execute a youth movement, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Although the Knicks have the talent to potentially turn heads in the Eastern Conference, the allure of the postseason won’t distract head coach Jeff Hornacek from the bigger picture.
In executing a rebuild, the Knicks have placed faith in players such as Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina to lead the organization into the future. It’s a risky endeavor, but it’s one that the front office is prepared to be patient with—and the coaching staff isn’t going to rush.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Hornacek used a word to describe New York’s situation that may or may not sit well with fans: “Process.”
"“It may be a slower process, but our guys are working hard to do the best we can,’’ Hornacek said at Capital One Arena. “You got to find the combination. Brett Brown has figured out a good way to do that. It’s hard as a coach because you want to win. You understand the process you have to go through.“You try to not sacrifice what you’re trying to do to build just to win some games. Obviously you want to win, but you have to find that balance. You can’t get frustrated. You got to keep the team going, and when teams are going through that process, it’s hard, but you got to stay positive.’’"
In a division that saw the Philadelphia 76ers execute a controversial rebuild that was labeled as, “The Process,” that word may not sit well with Knicks.
To be clear, Hornacek isn’t stating that the Knicks are going to intentionally lose games. Instead, he’s acknowledging the fact that New York isn’t in a position to sabotage the rebuild by playing veterans bigger minutes than what would help the younger players develop.
That doesn’t mean Hornacek won’t be aggressive in his pursuit of victory, but instead that he’ll prioritize building a culture over securing short-term success.
In other words: Developing the players who will help New York discover a sustainable formula for victory matters more than achieving fleeting glory
As for the word, “Process,” fans would be wise to not get terribly caught up on one of the most common terms in the American vernacular.
New York has seven players age 25 or younger who are expected to receive significant playing time in 2017-18. That list consists of Ron Baker (24), Tim Hardaway Jr. (25), Willy Hernangomez (23), Enes Kanter (25), Doug McDermott (25), Frank Ntilikina (19), and Kristaps Porzingis (22).
Thus, while the likes of Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, Kyle O’Quinn, Ramon Sessions, and Lance Thomas offer reasons for intrigue, the youth movement depends on—forgive me, but—the youth.
Thus, rather than asking the veterans to play big minutes in pursuit of a postseason berth in 2017-18, Hornacek would rather build organically and follow a proven formula.
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New York Knicks fans are hungry for a postseason appearance, but head coach Jeff Hornacek knows that progress will be measured by far more than just wins and losses in 2017-18.