Jeff Hornacek – Former HC, PHX
- Hornacek played college ball at Iowa State before Phoenix drafted him 46th overall in the 1986 NBA Draft. The combo guard averaged 14.5 points per game over his 14 year NBA career, peaking in 1991-92 with averages of 20.1 points, 5.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds. He is scratching the outside of the 50-40-90 club, having shot .496 from the field, .403 from three and .877 from the charity stripe.
- Phoenix traded Hornacek to Philadelphia as part of the Charles Barkley deal. In his final season as part of the Utah Jazz, Hornacek sank 171 of 180 free throws. He shot .950 from the line that season, the fifth-best single-season free throw percentage in NBA history.
- Hornacek played under Jerry Sloan in Utah, and would eventually work under him as an assistant coach. In 2007-08, he was brought to Utah to help Andrei Kirilenko and others with their perimeter shooting.
- Hornacek spent two-and-a-half seasons as head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, Phoenix’s record slipped every season under his tutelage. Hornacek was fired earlier this season after a battered Suns team fell to 14-35. His NBA coaching record is 101-112 (.474).
- Hornacek interviewed with Phil Jackson in Los Angeles on Monday. ESPN.com reported Hornacek would be at the top of the Golden State Warriors list for assistant coach after Luke Walton left the team for the Los Angeles Lakers job.
Here’s how Twitter voted in a poll of these four coaching candidates:
POLL: #Knicks fans! Which of the candidates for the New York coaching job would you like to see next season?
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) May 18, 2016
