New York Knicks: Phil Jackson Won't Fire Jeff Hornacek (Report)
Feb 4, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek and Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) look on during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, New York Knicks’ Phil Jackson will bring back Jeff Hornacek as head coach next season.

The New York Knicks went through 4 coaches in the three years Phil Jackson been assigned as the president. There are no indication that it will be a fifth head coach in the Jackson ERA.

With all the drama that went on during this NBA season, New York will still have a big part of the team to stay next season. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, despite the 27–41 record Jeff Hornacek job is safe for next season.

“Phil can’t afford to fire [Hornacek] and bring in a new coach,’’ another NBA source, who has spoken to Jackson, said.

Entering this season, the Knicks had big plans to make it to the playoffs. Phil Jackson signed head coach Hornacek and then dealt him the right cards to begin the season.

Jackson traded for former MVP Derrick Rose, signed the former defensive player of the year Joakim Noah, signed 3 and D Courtney Lee and signed an emergency comeback from Brandon Jennings to go alongside Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony. The plan this year was to get Melo into the playoffs and give Porzingis some playoff experience.

New York started the season off 14–10 and went into the Christmas game 16–13. After New York lost to the Boston Celtics on Christmas that when the form of tanking started. New York is 11–28 since the Christmas Day. Therefore the offense needed to be changed according to the team president.

After the all-star break, Phil Jackson wanted Hornacek to go back to the triangle offense and go away from his up-tempo offense. Kristaps Porzingis describe Hornacek offense as “confusion,” Porzingis didn’t to run the triangle or the hybrid attack offense.

New York playoff dreams were crushed after they lost to Brooklyn that pushed them seven games out of 8th place with 16 games remaining. Making the playoff was “unrealistic”.

“Many, many things would need to fall in place for that to happen,” Jeff Hornacek said in reference to making the NBA playoffs.

Hornacek told the media that it will basically take a miracle to get into the playoffs on Monday night.

At 27–42, the most-watched team in the NBA are the seventh worse team.

Hornacek talks about how everybody is the one to blame for this tragic season.

Via Berman:

“No, we’re all going through this,’’ Hornacek said after Wednesday’s practice. “Every single guy, every single coach, every part of management is to blame. We’re all in it together.There’s no other talk of anything. We’re trying to grow from this.’’

There have been a lot of shake-ups in the offense this season for New York.

Jackson set up a triangle camp for the guards a week ago. He wanted the guards to play the triangle correctly. This clinic was to show that Jackson is fully committed to the triangle post season. Hornacek is possibly being challenged as a head coach by Phil Jackson.

Derek Fisher understands his plight as he recently went on SiriusXM NBA Radio and said, “Jackson’s presence and insistence in running the triangle offense also made it challenging for the players to understand who was coaching the team.” Fisher also said it was a lack of communication with him and Jackson.

“We talk about stuff all the time. When he comes out and demonstrates for guys, he’s so used to being out on the court. It’s fun for him to do. Guys getting another look at it from a guy who’s run it for years and years,’’ Hornacek Said.

Hornacek continued to speak upon why there were a lot of confusion with the players understanding the triangle and his “hybrid offense, ” and they will go back to the basics in the offseason.

“It ended up being confusion in terms of getting some of the guys here last year, [they] were confused on some of the things we mixed in,’’ Hornacek said. “We’ll look at a lot of different things. Go back, step 1: a lot of footwork and basic fundamental stuff as the season goes on you notice. Next year when we go into it, it’ll be more to that stuff before you even touch a basketball.

Either way, it goes, New York needs to make better offseason picks and draft a good player that will buy into the system.

 
19 Years Old, from Chicago, IL. NBA writer for EliteSportsNY and RealBallInsider. MLB writer for ROBaseball. Sports Writer for The Communicator Newspaper. Co-Host on Sports Show "SportsSanity" blogtalkradio.com/sportssanity