System of measure
Hornacek: My fate not determined by playoffs
SALT LAKE CITY — Jeff Hornacek said he’s not being judged by his won-loss record, reiterating Knicks president Steve Mills’ offseason theme that making the playoffs is not the ultimate priority for the 2017-18 season.
In a message similar to the one the Knicks coach made on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Hornacek said the playoff talk has come more from players and that management and the coaching staff are still bent on development, forming a defensive identity and keeping “the big picture in mind.” Indicating a playoff berth is gravy, Hornacek acknowledged for the first time the club’s early winning record was partly because of a favorable home schedule.
At the morning shootaround Friday at Vivint Smart Home Arena, where his jersey from his playing days with the Jazz is retired, Hornacek responded to speculation he’s coaching for his job amid the current freefall. It’s something hardly new since he has one year left on his contract and Phil Jackson, who hired Hor- nacek, is no longer in the Knicks’ front office.
Hornacek invoked his coaching stint with the Suns when expectations changed after he posted a 48-34 record in his rookie year in 2013-14.
However, Hornacek insisted Mills and general manager Scott Perry have not changed the long-term plan for the Knicks. An NBA source confirmed nothing has changed, that reaching the playoffs never has been the No. 1 priority for management this season because the Knicks hold their own first-round pick in the last year of the current lottery format.
“In Phoenix, the plan was rebuilding and [we] got off and had a great year,’’ Hornacek said before the Knicks beat the Jazz 117-115. “Then the expectations changed, the mentality changed. Here we talked about rebuilding and got off to a good start because we had a lot of home games. But Scott, Steve, we’re still on the same page, giving our young guys opportunities. We’re still trying to win games. We want to establish where he have an identity defensively [that] we’re going to get after it all the time. We’re building toward that and it’s great to have that support.’’
Mark Jackson and former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who is back in Europe and is one of Mills’ close friends, have long been mentioned as potential successors to Hornacek, who signed a threeyear deal before the 2016-17 season. The Post has reported multiple times Mills tried to sway Phil Jackson into interviewing Mark Jackson after the Steve Kerr negotiations broke down in 2014.
The Knicks went into Friday amid a 3-11 stretch that had dropped their record to 20-25 — a season-worst five games under .500. However, they still stood just three games out of the eighth seed. The 76ers and Pistons are tied for that final spot.
“Expectations come from the players all of a sudden,’’ Hornacek said after the Knicks’ fast start. “You hear him talking about ‘ We can make the playoffs.’ We’ve never said that. We said we want to get better and want to grow and part of our talk is you can’t worry about the results. Go out there and try to improve and the results will come.”