Earlier this week, an NBA big shot who knows more than Kreskin told me that a coach is going to get fired soon, and nobody sees it coming.
He would not elaborate, and he would not give any hints.
I tweeted out that information, and it went a bit viral.
An NBA big shot who I know and trust just told me a coach is getting fired in next couple days, and nobody sees it coming.
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanhoops) May 28, 2015
I am starting to believe he might have been talking about Jeff Hornacek of the Phoenix Suns.
Why?
With Fred Hoiberg clearly the No. 1 choice to succeed Tom Thibodeau as coach of the Chicago Bulls, there has been open speculation in Phoenix about whether Hornacek might replace Hoiberg in Ames, Iowa.
From Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic:
“The Suns coach is entering the final season of a three-year contract, which screams “lame duck” in the coaching universe. If management wants to first distance itself from a disappointing season, that’s understandable, but an extension, or at least picking up Hornacek’s fourth-year option, should be on the team’s offseason agenda. Speculation that Iowa State will pursue him if the Chicago Bulls hire Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg makes sense. They love Hornacek, a four-year player in Ames, and know that just a year ago he was runner-up for NBA Coach of the Year. The rumors have picked up enough steam that Hornacek addressed the issue again Friday. “As far as I know, Fred’s still the coach and they’ve got some great assistants there,” he said. “It would be an honor and it’d be fun to coach your alma mater, but Ryan (Suns GM Ryan McDonough) and I came here with a purpose and the purpose is to get the Phoenix Suns back on track.”
Coaching changes have already been made in Phoenix, as Paul Coro, beat writer for the Suns, reported in the Republic:
“Assistant coach Kenny Gattison’s two-year tenure on the Suns staff ended as he was informed that his contract, set to expire June 30, would not be renewed. The Suns also will reassign assistant coach Mark West to the front office, promote player development coach Corey Gaines to assistant coach and hire D-League affiliate head coach Nate Bjorkgren as a player-development coach.”
More on Hornacek and the Suns in this interview with Dari Nowkhah & Danny Kanell of ESPN Radio.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.