Well, it's official as of today. Jeff Hornacek is no longer the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and the writing was on the wall. After firing his top two assistant coaches, the continued downward spiral of a 14-35 NBA franchise led to his firing. Without further ado, here are the top five candidates to replace Hornacek.
Note: During this writing, the Suns announced that Earl Watson has been named the interim head coach for the remained of the season according to Yahoo! Sports. How long this will last, though, remains to be seen. If it doesn't work out, he'll be let go at the end of the season, and this list will be viable at that time.
5. Steve Nash
I'm just going to start with the biggest rumor flying at the moment, and it's that the Suns have reached out to their former MVP, Nash. Now retired from basketball, Nash was recruited by several organizations last offseason and ended up with a small role within the Golden State Warriors. However, the Suns are thinking bigger than a small role.
The only problem is, Nash, per sources via ABC, has no interest in being a head coach or even assistant coach. He wants to focus on being a father to his three children and enjoy the beginning of his retirement.
4. Mike D'Antoni
The current assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and former New York Knicks and Suns head coach, D'Antoni has the experience and ties to Phoenix. One has to wonder if there's actually a legitimate chance that they could reunite now that Hornacek is gone -- especially if they can't get any other top names.
According to some, there's always a chance...
3. Ime Udoka
This would actually be a rather humorous scenario.
Udoka is currently an assistant coach for the great Gregg Popovich and San Antonio Spurs. That's a pedigree that nobody would shy away from. As well, he was considered during this past offseason to be a main reason for the recruitment of LaMarcus Aldridge, and specifically away from the Suns. Could the man who stole their free-agent prize become their head coach sometime soon?
2. Mark Jackson
Ever since the Warriors dumped Jackson -- despite their marked improvements while he was there -- for Steve Kerr, his name has been floating around as an option for nearly every opening. Could this be the time where he finally gets a chance?
One thing is for sure: he's become a controversial head coaching option, and would be a polarizing hire by the Suns.
1. Tom Thibodeau
Finally, we get to Thibs. A man notorious for his hard work and dedication to basketball, he demands the same from his players. That was what ended his time with the Chicago Bulls, and he's been free of any coaching duties for months now.
He's recently been interviewed on ESPN and said that he does miss coaching and definitely wants to try and get back into it as soon as this offseason.
Well, perhaps this could be a landing spot.
Thibodeau was able to take a very young Bulls team back in the day and turn them into contenders. There's no doubt that his schemes work and is a defensive mastermind. He could be just what the Suns need to become disciplined and turn their fortunes around moving forward.
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