New Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is looking forward to coaching Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, whom he called “a budding star,” while he conceded the Knicks point guard situation remains in flux.
“We had good players in Phoenix but we didn’t have anybody who was on an All-Star team,” Hornacek told MSG’s Al Trautwig as part of his introductory press conference.
“I’m excited to get to work with Carmelo and a budding star in Kristaps and to put them in good positions where they can succeed and make the other guys better.”
Hornacek — who said he plans to use the triangle as part of his offense — said he’s spoken directly with Anthony and with Porzingis via text.
Hornacek said he spent several days around the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors after Phoenix fired him this past season, and grew to appreciate how valuable a couple of superstars like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson can be.
“Just to watch those guys, those All-Stars, the way they practice and perform, it’s another level,” he said. “Those superstars do special things.”
While Anthony is a proven, if aging All-Star, Hornacek believes the sky’s the limit on the 7-foot-3 Porzingis.
“With Kristaps you don’t see a guy 7-3 that can do multiple things,” Hornacek said during his presser. “When you have a guy at 20 years old and see what he can do already there’s going to be higher expectations and we’re going to help him get to those levels. He’s got such a bright future that it’s going to be off the charts for him.”
He added to Trautwig that Porzingis can both take advantage of smaller guys in the post and take bigger players out on the perimeter.
Meantime, Hornacek, who came from a Phoenix team with several talented point guards including Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, all but said that the Knicks could use an upgrade at point guard over 34-year-old Jose Calderon and the second-year guard Jerian Grant.
“Jose and Jerian are kind of on opposite ends of the spectrum,” he said. “But we’ll work with either one of them. If there’s something out there in free agency or whatever, these guys [Phil Jackson and Steve Mills] can bring in that guy that can help a younger point guard or lend some assistance to the older point guard, that would be making our team better.
“If they’re here, we work with them. Knowing some of the point guards we had in Phoenix we’ve had some good success to get them to the next level. So it’s exciting to work with all of them.”
NNew Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is looking forward to coaching Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, whom he called “a budding star,” while he conceded the Knicks point guard situation remains in flux.
