Phil Jackson apparently has found his man in Jeff Hornacek. The former Phoenix Suns head man will be the next head coach of the New York Knicks, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.
Breaking: Knicks will hire Jeff Hornacek as head coach, per NBA source.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 18, 2016
Hornacek was 101-112 in three seasons with the Suns before being fired in February. Despite the losing record, he is still regarded as a solid coach by many in the league, and was a popular name for a couple different vacancies this offseason. The Golden State Warriors were rumored to be looking at him to replace Luke Walton as an assistant.
Hornacek was one of five coaches the Knicks had interviewed with as of Monday. Frank Vogel, David Blatt, Walton, and Kurt Rambis were the others. Rambis was the presumptive favorite for the job after he took over for Derek Fisher in February. Rambis used to serve on Jackson’s coaching staff with the Lakers, and is a strong proponent of the triangle offense. However, he has had limited success as a head coach with a career record of just 65-164, including a 9-19 mark with the Knicks this season.
Jackson previously made news for saying he would only hire a coach he, “probably know(s),” much to the chagrin of many Knicks fans. It is unclear if Jackson knew Hornacek prior to the head coaching search, but the two first met on Monday to discuss the Knicks’ opening.