Written by Harvey Araton and Scott Cacciola at New York Times.com
Phil Jackson’s long, strange trip to hire a new Knicks coach appears close to ending. Jackson, the team’s president, has zeroed in Jeff Hornacek, who was fired as coach of the Phoenix Suns this season after 49 games.
Jackson and Hornacek met in Los Angeles on Monday and came away with strong mutual interest, according to a person briefed on their discussions. While Jackson and Hornacek had yet to begin negotiating a contract as of Wednesday night, a deal was expected to be worked out within days.
Another person with knowledge of the coaching search said that Jackson had settled on Hornacek, confirming a report by Bleacher Report.
Hornacek, 53, coached the Suns for two full seasons before this one, compiling a 101-112 record, although his first year — at 48-34 — was considered an overachievement by most N.B.A. observers. His teams played an up-tempo offense. At the time of his firing, the Suns were 14-35 and had lost 19 of 21 games.
The Knicks, of course, are no strangers to turmoil. Jackson fired Derek Fisher as coach in February after the team’s record fell to 23-31. Jackson named Kurt Rambis, formerly Fisher’s top assistant, as interim coach. The Knicks went on to finish with a 32-50 record and were left out of the playoffs for the third straight season.
Still, Rambis was widely viewed as a favorite to keep the job on a full-time basis entering next season. At the start of his search, Jackson said he wanted to focus on candidates with whom he had personal connections and who were familiar with the triangle offense. Rambis, then, would have been a natural choice.
“I’ve seen a lot of situations where coaches end up coming in without simpatico with the general manager, and those things don’t work well,” Jackson said last month when the team held exit interviews. He added that he would look for “someone who has compatibility with what I do as a leader.”
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