The New York Knicks are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and things are getting worse. Even with the Knicks' pronounced struggles so far this season, head coach Jeff Hornacek does not seem worried at all about his job status, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.
However, with just one year left on his contract, Hornacek talks about next season’s plans without hesitation, right down to who could be the starting point guard.
Asked at Tuesday’s morning shootaround if he believes he’ll return as head coach, Hornacek said, “I still have next year. Unless they tell me something different. Everybody does [expect to be back].”
When asked if he has done enough to return, Hornacek said, “We’re still in the season’’ and walked away.
Coaches are often the first to go when a team is underperforming, especially when that team has the kind of expectations that the Knicks do. The team was in better shape when Kristaps Porzingis was healthy, but he is now out for the season with a torn ACL. It's in the team's best interest to lose games to try and get a high draft pick.
But what else is Hornacek supposed to do? He is under contract for the rest of this season and next, so he is going to conduct himself as if he will be employed for the remainder of that contact. It doesn't really make sense for a person in his position to think otherwise.
But Jeff Horacek should probably be at least somewhat worried about his job security. The team is losing, and it is under his watch. It's an unfair expectation for Hornacek to be asked to win games with the roster he has right now, but unfortunately, that's how cutthroat the NBA really is.
This situation will be resolved soon. Time will tell whether or not it is in Hornacek's favor.
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