The Phoenix Suns fired third-year head coach Jeff Hornacek on Monday morning after a disappointing start to the season that has seen the Suns go 2-19 in its last 21 games. They've also lost 14 straight games on the road. Yahoo! Sports posted that Hornacek learned of his fate in a conversation with general manager Ryan McDonough on Sunday night after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Phoenix began the season with playoff aspirations after posting records of 48-34 and 39-43 in Hornacek's first two seasons and with the acquisition of Tyson Chandler in the offseason. In a competitive Western Conference the Suns just have not been able to get it together as a team to look even close to a playoff team. There was also the Eric Bledsoe injury that really hurt the Suns for the rest of the season as well.
Sources had told ESPN in late December that the Suns were forced to contemplate a coaching change far sooner than they hoped because of a slide that had dropped them to 11th place in the Western Conference. There also was a growing fear within the organization that the team was no longer responding to its head coach. It's unfortunate because Hornacek was very loved by the fans for his time as a player there and how he had started his tenure as coach there.
Suns assistant coaches Corey Gaines, Earl Watson and Nate Bjorkgren will be interviewed Monday, a source told ESPN's Chris Broussard, with one of them likely named the interim head coach.
