Mercifully for the New York Knicks, just six games remain in another disappointing season where, for the fifth-straight season, they will miss the playoffs.
This was a team entering the 2017-18 season that was considered a fringe contender for the No. 8 seed in the East at best, but the season-ending injury suffered by Kristaps Porzingis in February effectively ended the team’s campaign then.
Since then, head coach Jeff Hornacek has been forced to roll out a roster that lacks a true star, piecing together starting fives like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without the directions.
It’s just the latest thing to have gone wrong during Hornacek’s tenure controlling the Knicks bench. In his two seasons in New York, Hornacek has compiled a miserable 58-100 record, that 100th loss coming on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.
And while it’s unfair to pin a majority of the blame on him considering he’s been working with a class of talent not fit for postseason contention, it seems likely that his time as head coach at Madison Square Garden is up.
Hornacek was hired by former team president Phil Jackson, who has since left the team and was replaced by Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry. Should they wish to continue to move the organization in a different direction, their direction, it’s only logical to bring in a head-coaching candidate of their choosing.
Team sources have confirmed to Mitch Lawrence of the Sporting News that Hornacek’s tenure could be over at the end of the season.
A possible replacement? Doc Rivers.
That’s according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, who also listed Mark Jackson as a possible replacement as well.
Rivers is currently fighting for his playoff life with the Los Angeles Clippers as they are one game out of the final spot in the West despite dealing away Chris Paul and Blake Griffin over the last year. It’s been an admirable performance by the head coach despite rumors of his removal from the position growing.
The 56-year-old played two-plus seasons with the Knicks during a 13-year playing career before becoming one of the best coaches of this generation.
During a nine-year run as Boston Celtics head coach, Rivers won an NBA title in 2008 and another Eastern Conference crown in 2010 before joining the Clippers in 2013. He recorded 50-plus wins in each of his first four seasons in LA.
Per Lawrence, there is a “growing sentiment within New York’s hierarchy” that Rivers is their guy.
