Coach Hornacek
‘John & Coach Jeff’ (Kent Horner - NBAE/Getty Images)
There are plenty of reasons you may have loved him as a player. Excellent shooter, smart player, good teammate, down to earth. Maybe you liked him because he looked like the average guy (the average guy who happens to be 6’4”) or maybe it was the secret wave to his family he did every time he was on the free throw line.
So far what we have seen of “Coach Hornacek” is that players like him too. Kirilenko is a prime example. He trusts Hornacek – he listens to him. Best of all it showed up on the court. Korver is an another example. There are not many people Korver would take shooting tips from – but Hornacek was one he wouldn’t just listen too – but solicit advice.
Hornacek is yet to don the mantle of head coach and accept the kind of responsibility that would automatically set some players off. But you feel when he does get the chance to lead a team – he will be a “players coach.”
I know a lot of fans would like to see Hornacek take an assistant level position with the Jazz and eventually take over for Sloan. Some fans would hope for that switch as soon as possible. I don’t think it would work. Here is why…
You don’t see a lot of star NBA players begin their coaching career as 2nd or 3rd assistant coach. They have been in the league for a dozen years or more and seen different coaching styles. They have formed opinions of what is successful and what is not. Most of the players that make it into coaching last a little longer in the NBA because they think like a coach already – some even bring that coaching to the floor as a player. Hornacek is one of those players and would be setting his career back if he took anything lower than 1st assistant.
The Jazz have a 1st assistant in Phil Johnson. He is on tap to be the next Jazz coach – if he wants it. The fact that Larry H. Miller always repeats the “if he wants it” part of that sentence is because Johnson has probably never to this point said he would not be interested. Johnson still has next shot – leaving no room for Hornacek as top Jazz assistant.
When looking at coaches Hornacek played for – I have to think he is much more likely to take after Cotton Fitzsimmons than Jerry Sloan. It’s not a secret (or if it is – it’s not well kept) that Hornacek would have enjoyed a little more freedom in the Jazz offense. I am not saying as a coach he will not have any discipline. .. just not as many set plays. It will be more like early 90’s Phoenix basketball with a lot of movement and outside shots, then current(and oddly enough early 90’s) Jazz basketball with pick and roll over and over.
Who knows it might work for the Jazz, but it would not mesh with the system Sloan has in place now. You can’t have Korver on the wing with Sloan yelling “pass” and Hornacek yelling “shoot it.” That is probably why Hornacek wasn’t near the bench last year.
For Jazz fans who still want Hornacek to be the next coach, it still might happen. If Hornacek does end up in Chicago as first assistant, Sloan retires before Collins, and Johnson decides to retire with Jerry, Hornacek might still get the call. Only he will have a year or two of bench experience behind him.
8 Comments to “Coach Hornacek”
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Interesting, with a lot of “what ifs” as it always is in basketball.
You seem to think Hornacek should jump right to the top. What about Ty & Scott? Just because Jeff wants to work full tiime now everyone should jump out of his way. Korvers shooting had nothing to do with Hornacek. He helped Andrei just, and that was great. You must be out of material to write. A slow day in Utah Media.
Perhaps you need to retire. Maybe the fans are tired of you and you should go away.
Les -
Hornacek worked with Korver on his shot. Specifically, a quicker release and a higher arc.
It’s not just me that thinks Hornacek should go to the top – it’s also the front office in Chicago and Phoenix where he has interviewed for Head Coach. According to other reports – Doug Collins has already extended the 1st assistant position to Hornacek in Chicago.
As far as Ty and Scott – Personally I like both. They do a lot of work with the players. Corbin will be a head coach in the NBA, maybe this year – Layden has a great chance as well. But if you ever listen to LHM he has repeatedly stated when Sloan retires the list goes Phil Johnson, then John Stockton, then Jeff Hornacek.
Phil Johnson may retire when Jerry does – he will decide when it happens. John Stockton apparently talks less and less about it as time goes on. There are a lot of fans who want to see Hornacek as the next Jazz coach.
You had it right on a slow Jazz news day – thanks for checking in.
Les, as I recall, you have written before about being unimpressed by Jeff Hornacek. In fact that’s putting it mildly. Why the dislike?
PS I hope you meant Hornacek should go away, not Johnathan (even though I don’t think Hornacek should go away either).
I would bet that if either John Stockton, or Jeff Hornecek became head coach of the jazz they would be coach of the year within 2 years and have a ring withing 3 years. I would realy love to see John as head coach and jeff as 1st assistant. Stockton would teach them how to run perfect plays and jeff would help them with their shot. If John doesn’t want the job then they should give it to hornecek before anyone else, I watched him all his years in utah and i’ve never seen a better all around shooter. He could only help the jazz, but I still think Jerry Sloan has a couple years left in him. I think that Sloan doesn’t get enough respect as a coach. He stuck with the same team for all these years when he could have shopped around to get a ring like other coaches have. But he believed in what utah had I think he deserves a statue just like stockton and Malone got.
I would personally worry a little about having someone start out as head coach that hadn’t coached full time before. I believe that an assistant learns a lot before jumping into a head position. Just my thoughts but there are a lot of hard knocks to take and it is difficult to learn about the hard knocks at the same time you are taking the heat of a head coach. Thank God for Sloan as long as we can get him.
I’d just like to comment on Les’s comment..”What about Ty & Scott?” I think Ty will end up coaching someplace other than Utah next year, and for Scott Layden, I can only hope that he is coaching somewhere other than Utah next year.
During the 90’s Scott Layden held several offices such as the team’s assistant coach, director of player personnel, director of basketball operations. During this time he was unable to bring in any free agent talent to help the Jazz.
The Jazz dumped him and in 1999, he replace interim general manager of the New York Knicks Ed Tapscott. In a few short years, he took the Knicks from a perennial playoff team contending for the title, to a team competing for the lottery. Unfortunately they traded all of their picks away for over priced, selfish talent. The Knick fans booed him every game and I actually saw a “kill Layden” sign during one of the games.
Bring on Hornacek–Good bye Layden.
If Jerry is getting tired of the game, how about hiring Stockton and Honacek as assistants and letting the others go. When Jerry calls it quits, there will be the coaching drive, talent, and smarts to get this team into the championship.
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