Is Jeff Hornacek the right choice for the Suns?

[Mainstreet]

I think its unfair to generalize an entire forum because of one poster.

I didn't think I was but it happens often enough that it causes me concern.

 

[WuRaider]

Hornacek has made a lot more mistakes this season than his rookie year. His end of game rotations have been bad. At the end of the last MEM game, we were winning with Wright-Marcus-3 PGS. MEM brings Zbo back in, Hornacek counters with Keef for Wright. The twins get destroyed by Zbo and Gasol.

The right move was to sub in Len/Keef for Wright/Marcus but.....damn I'm still pissed at that rotation! We had that game

 

[Hoop Head]

Dragic was pushed from his best position, the Point, to closing the 1st and 2nd halves, not just at Shooting Guard, but Small Forward. And we have been losing 4th quarters like crazy.

I don't think LeBron rejoining the Cavs pushed Kyrie to Forward.

There is no comparison.

Compared to Bledsoe and, especially Thomas, Goran is the best Point Guard on the Suns among the veterans. But with IT at 5'9" and Bledsoe at 6'1", Dragic gets bumped twice by default.

De-fault of the Front Office.

If Dragic was a more vocal or clear cut leader of the team perhaps the Suns don't bring IT in at all, as that moves stills leaves more questions than answers. He wasn't insurance for Bledsoe since the team was clear they'd pay whatever it took to retain Bledsoe and they ended up doing just that. They made their offer and ended up paying significantly more than that offer even though they were the only legit suitor. They also drafted a good PG prospect in the middle of the first round, of what was considered a very deep draft. They could have retained Ish for the league minimum if they didn't think Ennis could handle spot minutes at the point just yet. They already had Green as instant offense off the bench so they didn't need IT for that role. Signing the "Best Player Available" isn't a good move in Free Agency unless you're signing All Star/All NBA talent and IT is not at that level. PG is the teams deepest position and arguably the deepest position in the league so even on a "value" contract he doesn't have that much trade value as an asset. Getting the best player available is how a team should approach the draft, not free agency with long term deals, especially when the deals are a good bit over the MLE eating up any future cap space.

 

[FArting]

No

It doesn't matter who we get we need to focus on defense first then offense.

 

[slinslin]

Last year the Suns were last in Assist Rate
This year the Suns are 2nd last in Assist Rate

Last year the Suns were 8th in Offensive Efficiency
This year the Suns are 8th in Offensive Efficiency

Last year the Suns 29th in Assists
This year the Suns are 20th in Assists

Last year Goran Dragic as the PG averaged 55 passes per 35 minutes (as the only relevant ballhandler for most of the year)
This year Eric Bledsoe averages 54 passes per 35 minutes sharing the ball with Thomas and Dragic

Last year Goran Dragic created 20.1 points off of passes per 48 minutes.
This year Eric Bledsoe creates 20.0 points off of passes per 48 minutes

We are basically the same type of team as last year still. We lost Frye and added Thomas naturally isolation play is up a little and PNR play is down a little but the end result has been consistent.

Last year we were not a team with good ball movement, this year we still are not but we are one of the best offensive teams.

Questioning Hornacek over results is a joke, he is outperforming expectations in terms of wins by far. The one thing you can blame him for is that he has not managed to involve the young guys more but that is his style and also a result of McDonough overloading the roster with decent players that are not easy to beat out.

 

[FArting]

Interview with Jeff Hornacek

http://www.arizonasports.com/?sid=&nid=244&a=310283

 

[Errntknght]

One thing Hornacek said he wanted to do was start fastbreaking off made baskets. It didn't happen and the last time I checked we were down 2 points/game in fastbreak points from last year. The team chemistry has been uneven but you certainly can't call it good nor are we making strides in developing the culture of defense that he talked about.

Our halfcourt offense is still the same mess it was last year, well a slightly different mess with more isolation and less PNR, as you say. Its certainly not what I would call consistent this year.

You may dismiss not developing our young players by claiming its Jeff's style but it a rotten style, especially for a rebuilding team. Shades of D'Antoni, and he could at least claim we were in contention at the time of his famous statement.

Good coaches get the best out of their players but, notably, we have Markieff failing to play inside nearly as much as he did last year, putting up 50% more 3's with the same woeful percentage; PJ isn't the defender he was last year; Greens shooting has tailed off and he's fumbling the ball away more than ever. No one is on an upward trajectory.

I really don't see anything to be happy about with Hornacek.

 

[sunsfan88]

One thing Hornacek said he wanted to do was start fastbreaking off made baskets. It didn't happen and the last time I checked we were down 2 points/game in fastbreak points from last year. The team chemistry has been uneven but you certainly can't call it good nor are we making strides in developing the culture of defense that he talked about.

Our halfcourt offense is still the same mess it was last year, well a slightly different mess with more isolation and less PNR, as you say. Its certainly not what I would call consistent this year.

You may dismiss not developing our young players by claiming its Jeff's style but it a rotten style, especially for a rebuilding team. Shades of D'Antoni, and he could at least claim we were in contention at the time of his famous statement.

Good coaches get the best out of their players but, notably, we have Markieff failing to play inside nearly as much as he did last year, putting up 50% more 3's with the same woeful percentage; PJ isn't the defender he was last year; Greens shooting has tailed off and he's fumbling the ball away more than ever. No one is on an upward trajectory.

I really don't see anything to be happy about with Hornacek.

Agreed. I want see us become at least a competent half court team because we can't fast break all game long vs better teams.

 

[Hoop Head]

One thing Hornacek said he wanted to do was start fastbreaking off made baskets. It didn't happen and the last time I checked we were down 2 points/game in fastbreak points from last year. The team chemistry has been uneven but you certainly can't call it good nor are we making strides in developing the culture of defense that he talked about.

Our halfcourt offense is still the same mess it was last year, well a slightly different mess with more isolation and less PNR, as you say. Its certainly not what I would call consistent this year.

You may dismiss not developing our young players by claiming its Jeff's style but it a rotten style, especially for a rebuilding team. Shades of D'Antoni, and he could at least claim we were in contention at the time of his famous statement.

Good coaches get the best out of their players but, notably, we have Markieff failing to play inside nearly as much as he did last year, putting up 50% more 3's with the same woeful percentage; PJ isn't the defender he was last year; Greens shooting has tailed off and he's fumbling the ball away more than ever. No one is on an upward trajectory.

I really don't see anything to be happy about with Hornacek.

I think it's a little harsh to say he's the same as D'Antonio when it comes to developing young players. He plays a 9-10 man rotation and has consistently since he's been here. I believe he's playing the players that put the team in the best position to make the playoffs, which is something that he was directed to do by the front office after the surprise turnaround last season. Outside of the starting 5 he's playing IT, Green, Marcus, and Plumlee every game and since the acquisition of Wright he's worked him into the rotation as well.

Len has developed nicely since he was drafted and there is a big difference between his play last year and this year. He's definitely on an upward trajectory in terms of development. His injury history has limited his minutes, which was something discussed before he got hurt. His health is a concern but that's not something Jeff can really control outside of limiting his minutes, which he has, and Len suffered a sprain still, which isn't as bad as it could have been. Bledsoe has also played better this year compared to last, he's also playing better as the season progresses. Markieff is a much better player now than he was prior to Hornacek taking the reigns. He looked like a wasted pick prior to last season but Jeff seemed to use him well and he turned a corner and became a good rotation player. He's just not a starting quality PF in the league, especially in the West. He's still shooting outside too much and he's a poor rebounder but he's also the only PF on the roster.

There are problems, of course, but I think Jeff is doing the most with what he has and also following instructions by Sarver, McD, and Babby to fight for a playoff instead of developing the team for the future. I think in a way he's a victim of his early success with this team which raised expectations greatly this year. If the Suns weren't 1 game out of the playoffs last year then I think this year would have been much different, in terms of the roster and rotation. Looking at the roster on paper it's surprising they've held the 8th spot so long. It's terribly lopsided but they've been winnings games by playing to each players strengths instead of team basketball which is catching up to them as they enter harder stretches on their schedule. ISO ball will only get them so far, especially with the limited talent on the roster. I don't think Jeff has implemented much of system really, he's letting everyone play to their strengths and hoping for the best, which has worked so far but won't get them very far. I'd much rather see the team use their young players and spread the ball around a lot more but until they're out of the playoff race I don't see that happening.

 

[sunsfan88]

Interview with Jeff Hornacek

http://www.arizonasports.com/?sid=&nid=244&a=310283

Interesting that the guy giving the interview calls out all Arizona sports fans by saying that Arizona is all bandwagon fans lol.

 

[sunsfan88]

It has been a striking change for Knight coming from Milwaukee, the NBA's fourth-best defense.

"Everything was defensively drilled and, here, it's a little bit geared to our offense," Knight said.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...-21-for-boston-in-return-to-phoenix/23920711/

I do wonder if the Suns will have a coach/team in place that is more geared towards defense than offense.

Kidd has done a spectacular job in Milwaukke of turning them into one of the league's best defenses despite them not even having much of a rim protector.

Last season the Bucks were among worst in the NBA defensively as well.

 

[sunsfan88]

At what point does the coach himself accept responsibility?

https://twitter.com/MikeSGallagher/status/572604329867128832

 

[Errntknght]

Its a maxim that coaches should never blame their players in the media... Hornacek has violated that repeatedly. I'm finding very little to admire in him... I hate to say it because I was sure he was going to be a good coach...

 

[Phrazbit]

Virtually all coaches say that kind of stuff in the press all the time.

 

[sunsfan88]

Its a maxim that coaches should never blame their players in the media... Hornacek has violated that repeatedly. I'm finding very little to admire in him... I hate to say it because I was sure he was going to be a good coach...

If McD ever gets fired, his biggest regret imo will be choosing Hornacek over Budenholzer and Stotts.

 

[sunsfan88]

Sums up Hornacek

https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/572558438133321728

 

[FArting]

No

Time to let him go. I want to see someone like Todd Graham or Bruce Arians.

 

[mojorizen7]

"We've got to get us a Charles Barkley." - Lionel Hollins
May 1992

 

[TRW]

Sums up Hornacek

https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/572558438133321728

Push it...push it real good!

LOL

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

I loved Jeff as a Suns player. He defined the term pure shooting guard. But, I dont think he has the temperament to lead a professional team, especially a team full of knuckleheads.
I wished the Suns FO would have tried to model their team after the Spurs and hired M. Budenholzer bfore he went to Atlanta. The Hawks seem to be getting the better deal.

 

[SirStefan32]

I don't think the Almighty Pop himself could do anything with this team.
This team is atrocious.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Hornacek certainly isn't a great coach but this team and organization's biggest problems reside much above him.

 

[Folster]

Here's some perspective on our front office/coaching and the rebuild process. We are still paying Josh Childress and Michael Beasley. We were spoiled by a quick turn around last year when we were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league. Everything went perfectly last year. Green had his best season, Plumlee looked fantastic for the first half of the year, and the Suns locker room ran like a well oiled machine.

Just a few years ago we were watching an aging Nash and Grant Hill carry a youth and talent devoid team on their backs. We have some nice youth an pieces now. McDonough has made some nice moves, but has also made a few misteps recently. I'll take the recent results any day over what Lance Blanks and Lyndsey Hunter brought us.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Here's some perspective on our front office/coaching and the rebuild process. We are still paying Josh Childress and Michael Beasley. We were spoiled by a quick turn around last year when we were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league. Everything went perfectly last year. Green had his best season, Plumlee looked fantastic for the first half of the year, and the Suns locker room ran like a well oiled machine.

Just a few years ago we were watching an aging Nash and Grant Hill carry a youth and talent devoid team on their backs. We have some nice youth an pieces now. McDonough has made some nice moves, but has also made a few misteps recently. I'll take the recent results any day over what Lance Blanks and Lyndsey Hunter brought us.

Agreed. It's not all roses but it's not the pile of manure it was just two years ago.

Steve

 

[az jam]

The team (and organization) is very dysfunctional. So many changes took place at the trading deadline that Hornacek needs time to remold the team. Management really needs to decide what to do with the Morris twins. IMO it was a big mistake getting Morris. Its hard to build team chemistry with them on the team. I'm mixed on Hornacek but would give him some more time to turn this around.