Report: Suns players found out of coach’s firing via news outlets
Feb 1, 2016, 2:47 PM | Updated: 5:06 pm
Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek calls a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
That the Phoenix Suns would decide to relieve head coach Jeff Hornacek of his duties is not much of a surprise given that the team is 14-35, has lost 14 consecutive road games, 19 of their last 21 games overall, and displayed little competitiveness in a just-completed four-game road trip.
Yet, the move coming late at night — the first report of the move came out just shy of 1 a.m. Monday — along with the team waiting until late Monday to name Earl Watson as the interim coach has led some to believe the decision to part with Hornacek was an emotional one.
If that’s the case, then this latest piece of information would make a bit more sense:
Suns players found out this morning watching the news that Jeff Hornacek was fired.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 1, 2016
The organization failing to inform its players that their coach had been fired is a bad look, though it’s worth noting the timing of the move may have made it so that players either were not awake or were unlikely to answer their phones. Perhaps the front office was planning on waiting until the sun rose to inform them and just so happened to be scooped by the media.
Then again, even if that’s the case, you have to wonder why the franchise would allow itself to be painted in an even more negative light during what has been nothing short of a disastrous season.
The Suns and Watson will be back on the floor Tuesday when they host the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
