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New York Knicks: Top 10 candidates to replace Jeff Hornacek as head coach

By Maxwell Ogden

New York Knicks (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
New York Knicks (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 11: Doc Rivers of the LA Clippers looks out to the floor in the second half at Staples Center on April 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 115-100. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 11: Doc Rivers of the LA Clippers looks out to the floor in the second half at Staples Center on April 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 115-100. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Doc Rivers

Prior to the 2017-18 NBA regular season, I would have vehemently opposed the idea of hiring Doc Rivers as head coach. His success in the NBA has depended heavily on the presence of superstar talent, which he’d be without for at least half of the 2018-19 campaign.

After leading the Los Angeles Clippers to severe overachievement without the stars, however, Rivers has become a legitimate candidate for the job.

Despite playing 49 games without Blake Griffin, who was only dealt at the trade deadline after his health continued to decline, Los Angeles went 42-40. That’s even more impressive when one considers that Danilo Gallinari missed 61 games himself.

For what it’s worth, only five players appeared in more than 70 games for the above-.500 Clippers: Lou Williams, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Johnson, Sam Dekker, and Sindarius Thornwell.

Despite coaching a revolving door of players, Rivers led the Clippers to intriguing success. It may not have validated his allegedly elite status, but it supported the belief that the NBA championship on his resume wasn’t a fluke.

If New York is looking for a coach who will help create a defensive-minded culture, then the former Knicks point guard turned head coach is a viable option.

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