Initial reaction to Suns firing Jeff Hornacek
Feb 1, 2016, 7:03 AM | Updated: 11:49 am
Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek shouts instructions to his team during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Boston. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
Forty-eight wins was the beginning of the end for Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek.
In Hornacek’s debut 2013-14 season the Suns finished with a shocking 48-34 record that saw him come in second in the NBA Coach of the Year voting.
Expectations were recalibrated across the organization from rebuilding to winning now. Unfortunately, the Suns have reached the rebuilding point anyway, but it comes two seasons later and with even more complications than before.
The Suns’ 14-35 start cost Hornacek his job. He wasn’t the best coach in the NBA nor was he the worst. Hornacek had strengths and weaknesses, but the mess this season has become doesn’t all fall on his shoulders.
Responsibility for what’s happened needs to reverberate through the entire organization. There are many issues to fix that are bigger than the head coach. We’ll learn more and be able to dive deeper into this once general manager Ryan McDonough speaks and hopefully owner Robert Sarver does as well.
