As the NBA opener is less that a month away, Jeff Hornacek is looking to be a huge impact being the newest head coach of the New York Knicks. Here are recent coaches who spent time coaching the Knicks before Hornacek.
After having a total of five different head coaches within the last five years, Jeff Hornacek was brought to the Knicks as the the head coach and to revitalize the Knick's franchise after the team has failed to reach the postseason in three years.
Hornacek looks to be the long term option for the Knicks for the next couple of years. Within the last decade, no Knick coach has lasted more than two years with the team. As we wait for training camp to officially begin, here are a few recent head coaches who coached the Knicks before
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Brown was approached by other teams in order to have him as their next head coach. The Pistons did not reconstruct their contract after he was in the last season of his contract. Being able to coach the Knicks was considered a dream for Brown.
During his first season with the team, the only thing that made it clear was how poor the Knicks team was. One cannot blame Brown for having a team that owned the highest payroll in the NBA and having minimal talent on the team. Many conflicts arose both on and off the court. Brown clashed with former Knick guard, Stephon Marbury, on many occasions throughout the season. The only bright spots during the season was the flashes of potential with young players such as Channing Frye, Nate Robinson, and David Lee.
After one season, James Dolan relieved him of his duties and reassigned Isiah Thomas to take over the team. Brown led the Knicks to an abysmal 23-59 record. Following his stint with New York, Brown became the head coach for the Charlotte Bobcats. He led the team to their first ever playoff appearance in
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The team did have few bright moments in his first season coaching the team. At one point, the Knicks held the eighth seed. Unfortunately, the team were unable to hold on to the final playoff spots and were no longer in the playoff picture after that. The team finished with 33 wins. Knick fans were able to see the high amounts of potential in players such as Nate Robinson and David Lee.
The following season was a disaster as the Knicks were second to last in the Eastern Conference. The team was a train-wreck and Thomas was at fault for these issues. Thomas' record for the team was 56-108. When James Dolan hired Donnie Walsh to be the president of basketball operations, Thomas was eventually replaced by former Suns coach, Mike D'Antoni.
Jason Kidd is the most recent individual who transitioned from a former NBA player to a NBA head coach. Kidd became head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and was able to lead the Nets to the fifth seed. The team clinched a series victory over the Toronto Raptors during the 2014 season.Phil Jackson attempted to do the same thing after missing out on Steve Kerr by bringing in the player he brought the player he coached for 10 seasons, Derek