With rumors of a change swirling, New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek talked about his future with the team in advance of Wednesday’s season finale.
Jeff Hornacek is one of the many head coaches with job status uncertain as the 2017-18 season comes to a close. With all the rumors about big names like Mark Jackson and Doc Rivers it would make sense if Hornacek wanted out, but according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Hornacek does want to come back next season.
“That’s why you sign contracts. I have one more year,” Hornacek said in Cleveland on Wednesday morning, according to reports. “We’d love to continue with these guys and get some of the guys healthy and get back at it and continue that process. We didn’t think it was going to be a one-year turnaround. That’s our thoughts. That’s what we’ll continue to look at.”
Hornacek will meet with the front office on Thursday. Per Begley, team president Steve Mills, general manager Scott Perry, and vice president of player development Craig Robinson are expected to be in those meetings.
Perry and Robinson were not involved with the franchise when Hornacek was hired. Mills was around, but it was ultimately Phil Jackson who pulled the trigger. The overwhelming belief is that the new regime will want their coach.
Hornacek pitched himself as a potential model of consistency for the franchise by saying that he wanted to finish what started with this team. If he’s fired, the next Knicks head coach would be the team’s fifth in six seasons.
“We started it, and we’d like to continue it,” Hornacek said. “It’s very satisfying for coaches to take a team and build it and grow it. You can look around the league at some of the teams that are now some of the better teams in the league. They went through those same type of things. … Now all of a sudden [they] have their teams four or five years later and maybe even home-court advantage for the playoffs.
