It seemed as if most of the playoff-absent teams were steps ahead when it came to the off-season. Teams that fired their coach already picked their next guy. From the outside, it looked every team was ready to move forward. In typical fashion, the Knicks, rather Phil Jackson, took their leisurely time. Phil's approach to finding a new head coach had Knicks fan on their toes praying that he wouldn't cop-out and just promote Kurt Rambis to head coach. After several "vacation" weeks for Phil Jackson, it appears that he finally made a good choice with Jeff Hornacek. Some are still wary on his very limited coaching experience but there are more reasons to be optimistic.
1. He isn’t a rookie coach.
Rather he will be a “senior coach.” This will be Hornacek’s fourth year as an NBA coach. During his previous run as the Sun’s head coach, Hornacek lead the team to a 48-win season in year one. The 2013-14 western conference was loaded with contenders. Missing the playoffs that year isn’t an indictment on Hornacek, but rather an accomplishment.
Years 2 didn’t fair as well for him due to injuries and major roster changes. Even during those down years Hornacek managed to win 39 games in year 2. Jeff was let go during the 2015-16 regular season finishing with a 14-35 record (101-112 overall).
One of the biggest problems for the Knicks these past two years was the lack of leadership and experience from the head coach. Derek Fisher, a recently retired player, was learning on the job. This can’t be the case when you have a star in Carmelo Anthony on the roster. With an aging star signed for 4-plus years, you can’t waste your time hoping Fisher will figure out how to be a coach.
2. Phil Jackson will let Hornacek do his job as he sees fit.
When Derek Fisher became the 27th head coach in franchise history, many saw his as Phil Jackson’s puppet. As an inexperienced coach, Fisher would have to look to Jackson and associates like Kurt Rambis for guidance. That setup was doomed from the start.
Hornacek will bring his own style of basketball to the Knicks. Similar to the triangle offense, the Knicks will be playing a fast pace offense that relies on great guard play along with pick & roll setups. For this reason alone, the Knicks must upgrade the current backcourt with more veteran guards who can keep up with other backcourts
3. He will bring accountability
When your head coach is a year removed from playing in the NBA, his players might see him more as a peer than a superior. With that players weren’t held accountable for their mistakes or unwillingness to corporate. If you watched any Knicks basketball over the last two years, you might have noticed two things.
1. It seemed as if Fisher didn’t draw up any plays during his tenure.
2. If he actually did, none of the players ever executed those plays.
That’s why there were several periods of stagnant ball movement.
As ESPN’s Hubie Brown says “Hornacek will bring ‘accountability’ and a potentially more exciting offense to the Knicks.”
Brown also added that “you have to be lucky and fortunate that the players who are there can buy into the system and give it 100 [percent] every single night.”
“I would expect he comes in and gets that. I know they’ll be more accountable. That’s key anytime you come into a bad situation. You’re not going anywhere without accountability.’’
