NBA Rumors: Knicks Set To Fire Jeff Hornacek And Hire Mark Jackson Or Doc Rivers, Per ‘Bleacher Report’

The New York Knicks may have finally decided to throw in the towel in the Jeff Hornacek era. According to Adam Wells of the Bleacher Report, the Knicks are set to fire Hornacek and look to give control of the team over to either Mark Jackson or Doc Rivers. While no date has been set, the feeling is that this could be done as soon as the season is over.

While under the guidance of Hornacek, the Knicks have gone 58-99 while missing the playoffs both of his seasons as coach. It’s tough to pinpoint any success Hornacek has had while being coach of the Knicks. In 2016, he inherited a team with three former All-Stars in Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah, not forgetting to mention an up and coming player in Kristaps Porzingis. However, the Knicks stumbled and never got back on track.

During the 2017 offseason, many changes were made to the roster and the results were worse than they were before. Gone was Phil Jackson who many blamed for the current state of the Knicks and also departing was Anthony and Rose. As Hornacek geared up for his second season, the Knicks were full of hope.

This season has been anything but progress for Hornacek. The Knicks would officially become Porzingis’ team with Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr. backing him up. But then Porzingis went down with a season-ending injury and everything just imploded from there. There was the elephant in the room regarding what to do with the contract of Joakim Noah. After serving his suspension, Noah came back to a loaded frontcourt but the Knicks were unable to get any trade offers. Then things got really messy when it was reported that Hornacek and Noah got into a slight scuffle. Since then, Noah has been removed from the team’s plan and Hornacek could be next.

Another reason this firing may be done is due to Hornacek’s inability to find a steady rotation. The Knicks have been a rest-haven for point guards this season with the likes of Jarrett Jack, Ramon Sessions, Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina, and Trey Burke. While fans have called for Burke to see increased minutes with his production, Hornacek has continued to experiment with the roster.

While firing Hornacek will not immediately fix the Knicks’ growing issues, it wouldn’t hurt to try. By bringing in a veteran like Doc Rivers who has a championship under his belt or Mark Jackson, who built the Golden State Warriors, the Knicks may have a better future.