The Phoenix Suns have themselves a full scale coaching controversy. With the team having gone through an incredibly rough stretch of games, the team recently fired two assistant coaches. That has led to speculation that head coach Jeff Hornacek will be coaching for his job over the next stretch of games.
With Hornacek seemingly as good as gone, the question becomes who the Suns will look to replace their head coach. The latest rumors, courtesy of ESPN’s Zach Lowe, have Golden State Warriors assistant and current interim head coach as the favorite candidate:
Hornacek is a good coach. If the Suns fire him, he will draw interest in what figures to be a frothy head-coaching market this summer. Brooklyn, Sacramento, Washington, Phoenix, Memphis, Houston, Minnesota, Portland, and the Lakers all could have open jobs, and the pool of candidates will be loaded with big names: Jeff Van Gundy (quietly a candidate for the Washington job), Scott Brooks, Thibodeau, Monty Williams, and potentially Dave Joerger, Mike D’Antoni, Hornacek, Luke Walton, and others. As Howard Beck of Bleacher Report noted Sunday, there have already been rumors of Phoenix chasing Walton if they dump Hornacek.
Walton will certainly have plenty of suitors in the offseason. Although he has inherited a great roster and system from Steve Kerr as the latter recovers from back surgery, Walton still deserves some credit for the Warriors incredible start to the season. Phoenix will not be the only team vying for Walton’s talents, but they seem to be the first to have an opening linked to the young assistant.
