Things right now are the opposite of smooth sailing for the Phoenix Suns. It’s all been downhill since they failed to land LaMarcus Aldridge this offseason. Even without Aldridge, Phoenix was expected to be a fringe playoff team. They have solid talent in Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Tyson Chandler, Markieff Morris, etc. However, things have not gone according to plans. Tyson Chandler’s age has caught up with him. Markieff Morris is the biggest headcase in the NBA. Eric Bledsoe recently injured his left knee, and is expected to be out until at least after the All-Star break.
The problems for the Suns aren’t solely on the court, either. The front office has clearly not been pleased with the team’s 12-20 start, including a loss at home to the lowly 76ers. There have been reports that head coach Jeff Hornacek is in danger of losing his job. Hornacek still has his job(for now, anyway) but two of his assistant coaches have been fired against his will, per CBSSports’ Ken Berger.
League source confirms: Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting out in assistant coach shakeup under Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) December 28, 2015
Earl Watson and Nate Bjorkgren promoted to bench as Suns owner Robert Sarver decides to give Hornacek a chance to turn Suns around.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) December 28, 2015
The phrase “decides to give Hornacek a chance to turn Suns around” certainly makes it sound as though this is his last chance. This will serve as extra motivation to the head coach, but it will be far from easy. First, there’s the fact that the team’s best player in Bledsoe is out for a couple of months. Second, Hornacek will have to adapt to having new assistant coaches. Who knows how well their coaching styles will mesh with his? Add in the seemingly-constant Markieff Morris drama, and the fact that the roster will likely be shaken up at some point(since trading Morris seems inevitable), and it seems that Hornacek has quite a task ahead of him.
