New York Knicks: Channing Frye Speaks Highly Of Jeff Hornacek
New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has gotten solid reviews since being hired; add former Knicks forward Channing Frye to the people that are being Hornacek.
The New York Knicks have some optimism surrounding them with Jeff Hornacek being named head coach earlier in the offseason. Hornacek is expected to bring a new look to the Knicks on the court, as he will have some freedom to tweak the triangle offense to have more pace and pick-and-roll.
That is what Hornacek used in his last stop as head coach with the Phoenix Suns. He was praised for the work he did there, as he got the most out of a young team. While Hornacek’s record worsened the next two seasons, he left a lasting impression with the players he coached.
One of the players that were high on Hornacek was power forward/center Channing Frye. Frye was one of the few veterans on the Suns that season, and spoke highly of the work that Hornacek did with such a young team.
Frye, who now plays with the Cleveland Cavaliers, spoke with Marc Berman of the New York Post prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
"“Great guy, great coach. I thought he did a great job of getting the most of a young team, being able to inspire guys to play hard on a consistent basis and put guys in situations where [they] could flourish and learn. He’s a defensive-minded coach, but also wants to makes sure guys are out and running and playing the right way.”"
Hornacek led the Suns to a surprising 48-win season that year, coming out of nowhere to almost steal a spot in the Western Conference Finals. There was not much expected of the Suns that season, as they had a lot of unproven players in their rotation.
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Frye spent four seasons with the Suns, the last of which he played under Hornacek. He was surprised how quickly that Hornacek adapted to the job, as he held his own despite having no previous head coaching experience.
“He wasn’t like a rookie coach,” Frye said. “He’s wise beyond his years. I think he’ll do a great job in New York. He’s not worried about the pressure, not worried about anything other than winning and making his players better. He does a good job of being a player’s coach but also at the same time demanding excellence and playing hard every single night. I’d vouch for Jeff every day.”
Frye was able to reinvent his game with the Suns, expanding his range out to the three-point line and becoming a threat from deep. He thrived in the up-temp, pick-and-roll centric system that Hornacek ran, as he bought into what Hornacek was saying as much as the youngsters.
“We won 48 games, so he was doing something right,” Frye said. “Goran [Dragic] and I had the No. 1-rated screen and roll. [Eric] Bledsoe and Miles Plumee were doing great things. We were 10th in scoring for a team that wasn’t supposed to win 10 games. It was pretty damn good.”
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Hornacek was able to good things with the Suns before the roster was purged by the front office and put together in a flawed way. The Knicks do not have a perfect roster by any means, but have some players that should thrive in his system, much like Frye did.
If Hornacek can put Kristaps Porzingis in a similar situation, the results should be through the roof. Porzingis is more talented than Frye and Hornacek’s system should help him realize the potential that he has.