What The Hiring of Jeff Hornacek Means for the Knicks

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas USA TODAY Sports

This past week, the New York Knicks announced that they will hire former Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek as the team’s new head coach. This came as a shock to many whom believed that Phil Jackson would give the job to Kurt Rambis due to his connection with Jackson and the triangle offense. This certainly is a major change of pace for a team that has struggled to find a true leader since the days of Jeff Van Gundy, but only time will tell how things will fair in the long run.

From the looks of it, most will feel that this is the end of triangle since Hornacek has no history of working with it and prefers an up-tempo pace. That may be, but one has to figure that Jackson will try to instill some forms of his offense to keep a steady system the team can fall back on during games. Does this mean Phil will distrust Hornacek's style? Not in the slightest. If you look at the success Steve Kerr has had in Golden State with an up-tempo style, there could be a lot to look forward to.

Looking at the big picture of this hire, you have to believe Carmelo Anthony had part in Jackson's decision. Anthony has claimed that he would like to see the team improve sooner rather than later, Hornacek's track record of turning a 25 win Suns team into a 48-win contender (only missing the playoff by 1 games in 2013-14) speaks volumes to that. This will definitely keep the Knicks star satisfied as the team continues to make larger improvements to the roster.  With his basketball knowledge and personable demeanor, the is no reason to believe that Hornacek will have any problems establishing a good relationship with Anthony.

Last but not least, there is sure to be a major shakeup at the point now that Hornacek will be around. With the accelerated play style, players like Jose Calderon could see their roles reduced in favor of quicker north-south point guards such as Jerian Grant, Langston Galloway, or a possible free agent pickup. Since the league is geared towards strong guard play, it's important that the Knicks adapt and build a strong foundation in this area so that they can consistently compete with the league's best.