It was recently announced that newly-dubbed New York Knicks coach and former Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek has added his former Jazz teammate Howard Eisley to his coaching staff.
The New York Knicks underwent some dramatic changes this offseason, most notably with the addition of former Chicago Bulls stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Yet on a note more related to the Utah Jazz, Knicks team president (and former Jazz nemesis, but that’s besides the point) Phil Jackson brought in former Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek as head coach.
Hornacek was fired midway through the 2015-16 season by the Phoenix Suns, but fortunately for him, his period of unemployment was very short-lived. However, he will have his work cut out for him as he looks to transform a Knicks team that has been an NBA bottom feeder for several seasons back into a competitor.
As an early attempt to improve the team, Hornacek brought in an assistant coach whose name should be very familiar to Jazz fans. As it was announced near the end of last month, Hornacek recently added former Jazzman (as well as former Knick) Howard Eisley to the coaching staff.
Report: #Knicks hired un-employed assistant coach and former PG Howard Eisley as assistant coach.
— Kyle Cohen (@kylecohenNBA) July 1, 2016
Eisley is most remembered for being the backup point guard to John Stockton. While he was never a star for the Jazz, he was always a steady contributor who filled his role well. As UtahJazz.com’s Matt Sanchez so eloquently put it, “Howard Eisley was the consummate backup point guard. He took care of the ball, made good decisions and did what he was told.”
Howard Eisley was the consummate backup point guard. He took care of the ball, made good decisions and did what he was told.
For his career, Eisley averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 assists per game. He was a key rotation player for the Jazz teams that made it to the NBA Finals, particularly in the 1997 NBA Playoffs where he shot a blistering 47.4 percent from deep.
Though Eisley’s stint in Utah was the longest stay of his career and undoubtedly the most successful in terms of playoff appearances, his best year scoring-wise came in 2002-03 where he averaged 9.1 points per game as a member of the New York Knicks, the team that he now joins as an assistant coach.
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With such a unique, but talented roster which following free agency now features the likes of the aforementioned Rose and Noah, as well as Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee and Kristaps Porzingis, it will be interesting to see how Coach Hornacek and Coach Eisley bring the team together.
As Jazz teammates from 1995 to 2000, Hornacek and Eisley are no doubt familiar with one another and Hornacek obviously has great respect for his former teammate to bring him onto his coaching staff in New York. Prior to joining the Knicks, Eisley was a member of the Washington Wizards’ coaching staff alongside former head coach Randy Wittman.
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So while Jazz fans likely won’t be jumping ship to root for the Knicks any time soon, one can’t help but hope for the best for two former Jazzmen that were once such key and dedicated players during the peak of the Utah Jazz’s greatest years.
All stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com