Jeff Hornacek is still the coach of the New York Knicks, but rumors are swirling about the possibility of Doc Rivers taking over after the season.
It’s no secret that Jeff Hornacek and the New York Knicks may not be the perfect fit. Should the front office decide to go in another direction, Hornacek’s replacement would be the first question to answer this offseason. Doc Rivers would be a coaching choice that would be sure to excite the fanbase, but it hasn’t seemed like much of a possibility considering he has a year left on his contract with the Clippers.
But according to Marc Berman of the NY Post, Rivers making his way to New York isn’t all that crazy of a notion. Berman was told by a former Rivers associate:
Doc enjoyed his time there. He respects the city, he respects the organization.
Admittedly, that’s not the juiciest quote ever given, but it leaves the door ever so slightly ajar for a marriage between the Knicks and Rivers. There are certainly a few dominoes that would need to fall into place for this to happen.
For one, the Knicks would have to move on from Jeff Hornacek, which seems likely at this point, but is in no way a certainty. Secondly, the Knicks would lose a draft pick to compensate the Clippers who have Rivers under contract for one more season.
So for now, this is merely a rumor. Something to ponder as the offseason approaches, but there’s nothing definitive that would signal Rivers jumping ship in Los Angeles for a cross-country flight to New York. But if he wants to coach one of the best young players in the league, maybe he would be interested in the Big Apple. Earlier this season, Rivers talked Kristaps Porzingis with Berman:
I mean he’s going to be — or he is — one of the great ones now. He’s just going to keep getting better. You look at his numbers and you forget his age, I think, and what he’s doing. It’s just a scratch. He’s going to keep getting better and better. And that’s going to be scarier for all of us.
