On early Thursday morning, the Knicks fired Coach Jeff Hornacek, two years into a three-year deal, an NBA source confirmed.
As per reports, the potential candidates for the replacement include Doc Rivers, Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, David Blatt, Jeff Van Gundy, David Fizdale, and the Knicks player development director Craig Robinson.
Hornacek has guided the Knicks to a 60-104 record in his two seasons with the team following three as the head coach in Phoenix.
When asked about Hornacek’s coaching lately, Michael Beasley gave a lukewarm reply saying, “he did some things well, and he did some things bad.” He further said that Hornacek’s uncertain work status might have prompted him to make errors on the sideline.
Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry will not start a hunt to find the Knicks their 11th coach since Jeff Van Gundy resigned in the year 2001. It is expected that Mills will meet the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss the firing.
Phil Jackson and Steve Mills hired Hornacek in the summer of 2016 and his first season was a huge disappointed submerged in dysfunction. However, even though Mills signed off on it, the new management wants him out and wants to start from scratch to cultivate a new culture.
On Wednesday night, the Knicks ended their campaign with a 110-98 win over Cleveland. The team missed the postseason for a fifth consecutive season. Moreover, it is also the fourth consecutive season where the Knicks have had to face 50 losses.
Notably, the downward turn for the Knicks began in early February when Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL. It went on further with Hornacek and veteran Joakim Noah clashing during a road game in January at Golden State. Noah was not around the team the last few weeks of the season.
