Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek joined the team before the start of the 2013-14 season and led them to an impressive 48-34 record in his first year. Every Suns fan was excited for the future as the team’s best players were Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green and Markieff Morris, who were all 28 years old or younger. It seemed as if the Suns were ready to start a dynasty, especially after acquiring Brandon Knight last season in a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
Here we are two years later, and things couldn’t be further from those expectations. The Suns sit at 12-20 and are 12th in the Western Conference. Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Hornacek’s job was in serious jeopardy, but after some organizational meetings, the front office decided to keep him and fire two of his assistant coaches instead. Those two coaches, Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting, were replaced by former NBA player Earl Watson and former NBA D-League head coach Nate Bjorkgren.
Coaching is only the beginning of the problems facing the Suns. Morris, who is the team’s most talented frontcourt player, demanded to be traded during the offseason, but the team refused to deal him. Instead, they’ve been happy with him riding the bench most of the year and not contributing until the last couple weeks. It didn’t take long for Morris and Hornacek to get in an argument that ended with Morris throwing a towel in his head coach’s face and getting suspended.
Now with Bledsoe tearing his ACL, the Suns are left with Knight and a bunch of rags to compete with for the next few months. The situation is becoming more dire by the day, and it would be a surprise if Hornacek makes it out unscathed.
Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
