With Jeff Hornacek gone, who will be the next Knicks coach?
With Jeff Hornacek gone, who will be the next Knicks coach?
New York are moving on after firing Jeff Hornacek as head coach, and some familiar names are being interviewed as prospects for the top coaching job. So, what will each coach bring to the Knicks?
New York are moving on after firing Jeff Hornacek as head coach, and some familiar names are being interviewed as prospects for the top coaching job. So, what will each coach bring to the Knicks?
In early hours of Thursday morning, not long after the Knicks toppled Lebron and the Cavs in their last game of the season, Jeff Hornacek was dismissed as New York's head coach. Talk of Hornacek's seat is up for grabs had persisted in the past few months, partially fueled by New York's losing record during his tenure but also by executive president Steve Mills' comments about wanting to pursue a defensive identity for the team, something that had been majorly lacking under Coach Hornacek's watch.
Now, as the playoffs begin again with New York watching from outside, rumors about who will replace Hornacek as the new coach of the New York Knicks are starting to flourish. Some familiar names are being tossed around, and it's interesting to contemplate how some new blood could possibly change New York's fortunes for the better. With that in mind, let's look at how some potential new coaches could impact the Knicks.
David Fizdale
Fired by Memphis 19 games into this year's season in the midst of an eight-game losing streak while also feuding with star Grizzly Marc Gasol, Fizdale was something of a casualty of Memphis' decision to tank the season rather than being an outright incompetent coach. Whether or not you believe he was made a scapegoat by Memphis in order to keep their star player satisfied, you can't brush off Fizdale's resume. In his first year as Grizzlies coach, he lead a middling roster to a playoff appearance while earning a reputation as a coach who always had his players' backs. Last season, his Grizzlies were a defensive stalwart, allowing only 100 points scored on them per game (good for third-best in the league, just behind Utah and San Antonio).
For a team that bleeds points even in victory, New York would do well to court Fizdale to a head coaching position. It would be a large step towards the winning culture the Knicks are pining for, as well as establishing the defensive mindset asked for by Mills.
David Blatt
Even with his legendary status in European leagues (Blatt is one of two coaches in history to have won the EuroLeague, EuroCup and EuroBasket championships), Blatt's tenure as an NBA coach is still marked by his dismissal by Cleveland after butting heads with Lebron James halfway through the 2016 season. Like Fizdale, Blatt had a winning record with Cleveland (83-40), but when push comes to shove it's still a player's league, and no players are bigger than Lebron, so Blatt had to go.
That's not to say that Blatt would still have trouble connecting with his guys if he was brought back for a second try. The Knicks are loaded with international players (Porzingis, Kanter, Ntilikina), so it would be fair to assume that perhaps Blatt would be more successful dictating to a cohort who are more familiar with international styles of ball. With Porzingis out for most of the season, New York will have to eschew iso plays in favor of ball movement and constant motion, so his Princeton-style offense would fit well with the Knicks. Furthermore, as a coach with championship pedigree overseas (as well as a Finals appearance in the NBA), could bring some of that winning mindset to New York.
Jerry Stackhouse
Stack is probably the most intriguing prospect on this list, for a number of reasons. While he doesn't have any experience as an NBA head coach, he did serve as an assistant coach under Dwayne Casey for the Raptors for one season, as well as being the head coach for Toronto's G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905. While coaching the 905, Stackhouse led them to a G-League championship last year and then falling just a few wins short of repeating this year. Even if it's not coaching at the NBA level, championship pedigrees and experience like that can't be ignored.
At only 43 years old, Stackhouse would be one the youngest coaches in the NBA, but with that relative youth would also come an ability to relate to today's player that other older coaches may lack. When this is combined with his experience as a player in the NBA for 19 years, you would expect Stackhouse to be intimately familiar with how all working parts come together to form a winning team.
All three of these coaches are due to be interviewed by the Knicks this week.
In early hours of Thursday morning, not long after the Knicks toppled Lebron and the Cavs in their last game of the season, Jeff Hornacek was dismissed as New York's head coach. Talk of Hornacek's seat is up for grabs had persisted in the past few months, partially fueled by New York's losing record during his tenure but also by executive president Steve Mills' comments about wanting to pursue a defensive identity for the team, something that had been majorly lacking under Coach Hornacek's watch.
Now, as the playoffs begin again with New York watching from outside, rumors about who will replace Hornacek as the new coach of the New York Knicks are starting to flourish. Some familiar names are being tossed around, and it's interesting to contemplate how some new blood could possibly change New York's fortunes for the better. With that in mind, let's look at how some potential new coaches could impact the Knicks.
David Fizdale
Fired by Memphis 19 games into this year's season in the midst of an eight-game losing streak while also feuding with star Grizzly Marc Gasol, Fizdale was something of a casualty of Memphis' decision to tank the season rather than being an outright incompetent coach. Whether or not you believe he was made a scapegoat by Memphis in order to keep their star player satisfied, you can't brush off Fizdale's resume. In his first year as Grizzlies coach, he lead a middling roster to a playoff appearance while earning a reputation as a coach who always had his players' backs. Last season, his Grizzlies were a defensive stalwart, allowing only 100 points scored on them per game (good for third-best in the league, just behind Utah and San Antonio).
For a team that bleeds points even in victory, New York would do well to court Fizdale to a head coaching position. It would be a large step towards the winning culture the Knicks are pining for, as well as establishing the defensive mindset asked for by Mills.
David Blatt
Even with his legendary status in European leagues (Blatt is one of two coaches in history to have won the EuroLeague, EuroCup and EuroBasket championships), Blatt's tenure as an NBA coach is still marked by his dismissal by Cleveland after butting heads with Lebron James halfway through the 2016 season. Like Fizdale, Blatt had a winning record with Cleveland (83-40), but when push comes to shove it's still a player's league, and no players are bigger than Lebron, so Blatt had to go.
That's not to say that Blatt would still have trouble connecting with his guys if he was brought back for a second try. The Knicks are loaded with international players (Porzingis, Kanter, Ntilikina), so it would be fair to assume that perhaps Blatt would be more successful dictating to a cohort who are more familiar with international styles of ball. With Porzingis out for most of the season, New York will have to eschew iso plays in favor of ball movement and constant motion, so his Princeton-style offense would fit well with the Knicks. Furthermore, as a coach with championship pedigree overseas (as well as a Finals appearance in the NBA), could bring some of that winning mindset to New York.
Jerry Stackhouse
Stack is probably the most intriguing prospect on this list, for a number of reasons. While he doesn't have any experience as an NBA head coach, he did serve as an assistant coach under Dwayne Casey for the Raptors for one season, as well as being the head coach for Toronto's G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905. While coaching the 905, Stackhouse led them to a G-League championship last year and then falling just a few wins short of repeating this year. Even if it's not coaching at the NBA level, championship pedigrees and experience like that can't be ignored.
At only 43 years old, Stackhouse would be one the youngest coaches in the NBA, but with that relative youth would also come an ability to relate to today's player that other older coaches may lack. When this is combined with his experience as a player in the NBA for 19 years, you would expect Stackhouse to be intimately familiar with how all working parts come together to form a winning team.
All three of these coaches are due to be interviewed by the Knicks this week.