Communication Issues Played Key Role in NY Knicks Firing Jeff Hornacek
GREENBURGH, N.Y.— The first season's focus was always going to be evaluation. Steve Mills and Scott Perry have said as much multiple times over the past year. For Mills, a longtime New York Knicks executive, this was going to be his initial season as team president. Perry is the newly hired general manager. The thin roster Phil Jackson left behind meant contention was years away, and so neither man was in a rush to make drastic modifications.
That all changed early Thursday morning after the Knicks' team plane, returning from a game in Cleveland, landed at Westchester County Airport. There, Mills and Perry led head coach Jeff Hornacek into a conference room and informed him he was fired.
Hornacek, whom Jackson hired two years ago, had one season left on his three-year, $15 million dollar deal.
"I think just generally, as we observed the team, there were a lot of things that we just thought we could be better at, from attention to detail to player accountability," Mills told reporters Thursday during a 44-minute press conference at the Knicks' training center. "Jeff did a good job in some areas. In some areas he could have done a little bit of a better job. We just thought there was an opportunity to, again, get someone who really fit where we want to be three-five years from now."
From a basketball standpoint, the decision to move on from Hornacek was the correct call. He's not responsible for the team's atrocious 60-104 record over the past two seasons—Knicks fans can thank Jackson for that—but there were myriad other issues.
The defense was inept and never showed growth, even in little areas such as defending the three-point line. The offense was all mid-range, as if the three-point line didn't exist. He struggled to communicate with his team, a problem both Perry and Mills hinted at and that league sources say bothered Knicks players.
Hornacek's a good guy, someone players and others in the Knicks organization liked away from the court. But he wasn't the right person to lead this latest Knicks rebuild. The onus now falls on Perry and Mills to make sure they find the right coach to do so.
The good news for Knicks fans is that on Thursday both executives laid out a plan that should leave them feeling cautiously optimistic.
"Jim [Dolan] has given us the room to be patient, which again is not something that's been common in this organization," Mills said, referring to the Knicks' owner. "Patience hasn't been one of our biggest attributes here, and he's given us the room to be patient, to develop players, develop a culture within the organization."
This, of course, is far from the first time a Knicks executive has stood in front of the cameras and preached patience. Mills was asked about this at the press conference.
"I've known Jim for a long time. He's been very clear for me when I agreed to stay on and take this job that he would give us the room to operate and to do the things that we thought were important," Mills said. "I think his commitment from a financial resource that he's given us to player development are indicators for how important he thinks a long-term growth process is for how it is we do things. I don't have any doubt that he's comfortable with plan we're on and wants us to be patient and not do things that are for the quick hit."
More good news for the Knicks: The cupboard isn't as barren as it might seem. Kristaps Porzingis showed this season that if he can remain healthy he's a star. Frank Ntilikina is already an elite perimeter defender, despite being just 19 years old. The Knicks have a lottery pick this year and will likely have another high selection next year, given that Porzingis is slated to miss half the season as he recovers from his ACL injury. Also, they'll likely have the cap space to add a max free agent next summer.
That's not to say the Knicks are in the, um, process of emulating the Sixers' rise, but as far as assets go, it'd be hard to ask for much more.
Even their players recognize this.
"I think it's going to work out well, if you look at what [the Thunder] did back in the day, what Philly did, I think this team is building," Knicks center Enes Kanter told reporters Thursday. "In a few years, this team is going to be really dangerous."
Coaching candidates know that. The Knicks will not be lacking for capable options.
All of which leads back to Thursday's decision to fire Hornacek and the choice that's ahead for Mills and Perry. Again, the words coming out of Mills' and Perry's mouths were exactly what, as a fan, you should be happy to hear. They spoke about finding a coach who can relate to "today's players" and fully grasp analytics and development and the way the game has changed.
"One of the most important characteristics as we start to look at the kind of person that we're bringing in is that in today's NBA, the coach is not on an island by itself," Mills said. "The coach is part of the team that is part of the front office. We need to find someone that understands that the three of us are in this together, and this is a group effort. It's not an independent effort, and we're going to approach everything as a team and as an organizational way."
And most of all, they acknowledged that in the past it was often the abandoning of these principles that led to turmoil. And so, no, we won't know for a few years whether they successfully stuck with the plan or if this was just another example of empty preaching from a Knicks executive.
For now, though, all we can do is look at the information in front of us, albeit with a cautious eye. Things might seem dark for the Knicks, but they're not as far away as it might seem. Now it's time for Perry and Mills to show they know how to take advantage. Who they select to be the next head coach will go a long way toward determining whether their vision comes to fruition.
Yaron Weitzman covers the Knicks and NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow Yaron on Twitter @YaronWeitzman, listen to his Knicks-themed podcast here, and sign up for his newsletter here.
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