Tag: Jeff Hornacek

Every player in Philadelphia 76ers history who has worn No. 14

Here is a list of all 34 players who have worn the No. 14 in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s summertime in the NBA, so it’s time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA. Their history dates to the 1949-50 season.

With that longevity, the team has had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 14, which has been worn by a whopping 34 of those players in the history of the franchise.

This running series will go through all of the uniform numbers worn in franchise history. The previous edition of this series was a list compiling the seven players who have worn the No. 15.

Here is the list of the 34 who have worn No. 14 in Sixers history:

Top five worst trades made in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers

Here is a ranking of the top five worst trades made in the long history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are a franchise of history, tradition, and success, but they also have made some awful transactions in their history.

Who could forget just deciding to trade one of the best big men the game has ever seen in Wilt Chamberlain? Or the awful Charles Barkley deal? We’re going to rank those plus a few others based on the loss the Sixers had in these deals as well as the impact the outgoing players made in their new homes.

These five deals are all bad, you can decide what’s the absolute worst, but the one thing that can be universally agreed upon is that the Sixers lost out on all of these trades.

With that said, let’s get into the list.

Rockets reportedly looking for strong defensive coach as assistant

“I think they’re going to definitely try and add a guy who has some defensive coaching chops,” Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen says of the Rockets’ assistant search.

With three assistant coaches in Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, and DeSagana Diop not returning to the Houston Rockets staff for the 2022-23 season, head coach Stephen Silas likely has three vacancies to fill.

While some names have been rumored, including G League affiliate coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah and longtime NBA assistant Melvin Hunt, a formal hire has yet to be made. But Silas has made it clear that defense is a priority this offseason after Houston’s league-worst finish in 2021-22, and it appears that will factor into the coaching search, as well.

Longtime Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen elaborated in a conversation with Salman Ali on the Red Nation Hoops podcast:

Stephen (Silas) is extremely well liked and respected around the league. He’s got a ton of connections. People would like to work for him. …

I think they’re going to definitely try and add a guy who has some defensive coaching chops. Not necessarily running the defense, but a creative mind with a lot to offer as a guy that will help work with the defense.

I don’t think it’s quite the Jeff Bzdelik defensive coordinator (role) — I know they didn’t call him that, but “you run the show on defense” — it’s not that.

He’s looking for a defensive… I don’t want to say specialist, but a really strong defensive coach. That’s where they’re going with the main one.

Feigen, who said he anticipates Abdelfattah being one of the three hires, did offer one caveat when it comes to Silas’ ongoing search.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Feigen said of Houston’s situation. “When you’re joining a team that’s had the worst record in the league, twice in a row, and the coach has two years left on his contract — only one fully guaranteed — coaches have to consider that. But, he’s got connections like crazy, and he’s really well liked and highly thought of. That’s the one thing I’ve heard from people outside the organization.”

The new assistant coaching hires will join John Lucas (lead assistant) and Rick Higgins, who are still in place from Silas’ 2021-22 staff.

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DeSagana Diop reportedly set to leave Rockets’ coaching staff

According to veteran NBA scribe Marc Stein, DeSagana Diop will become Stephen Silas’ third assistant coach to not return in 2022-23, joining Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver.

According to veteran NBA scribe Marc Stein, DeSagana Diop will soon become Houston’s third assistant coach to leave the bench this offseason, joining Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver. A former NBA center, Diop was hired by the Rockets prior to the 2020-21 season.

Per Stein, the New York Knicks are expected to name Diop as the new head coach of their NBA G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.

With Diop, Hornacek, and Weaver no longer part of the staff, it appears Stephen Silas will be filling three roles before the 2022-23 season. Lead assistant John Lucas, along with Rick Higgins, are still in place.

It remains unconfirmed whether Hornacek and Weaver left of their own choosing, or if Silas and the Rockets chose to go a different direction.

Immediately after the 2021-22 season ended, Silas said he was hopeful of having all members of his assistant coaching staff return. However, he said he would not attempt to hold any back from a promotion, if they were offered one. General manager Rafael Stone has made it clear assistant coaching decisions are Silas’ job, rather than his.

Mahmoud Abdelfattah, head coach of Houston’s G League affiliate (the Rio Grande Valley Vipers), is reportedly a strong early candidate for one of those vacant positions. Another is Melvin Hunt, a longtime NBA assistant who most recently worked for Atlanta from 2018 until 2021.

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Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver not returning to Rockets coaching staff

With assistant coaches Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver not returning to Houston, G League head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah could emerge as a candidate for the Rockets.

Assistant coaches Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver will not return to the Rockets for the 2022-23 NBA season, as first reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Both Hornacek and Weaver had coached underneath head coach Stephen Silas for each of the past two seasons.

Hornacek, a former NBA head coach, was particularly involved on offense, while Weaver was active on both sides and served as Houston’s head coach in summer league games. Barbara Turner, a player development assistant last season, is also leaving Silas’ staff.

Assistant coaches who remain in place with the Rockets include lead assistant John Lucas, as well as DeSagana Diop and Rick Higgins.

Following the 2021-22 season, Silas said he was hopeful of having all members of his assistant coaching staff return. However, he said he would not attempt to hold any back from a promotion, if they were offered one. General manager Rafael Stone has made it clear that assistant coaching decisions are Silas’ job, rather than his.

There was no immediate word on potential replacements, though one potential candidate appears to be Mahmoud Abdelfattah, head coach of the G League affiliate Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. Under Abdelfattah’s leadership, RGV recently won its fourth title in team history.

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Stephen Silas explains focus areas for Rockets’ new coaching staff

Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver are tilted to offense, while John Lucas, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop are “tilted to the defensive side.”

When new Rockets head coach Stephen Silas was in Dallas, he was effectively the “offensive coordinator” for a group that finished the 2019-20 regular season as the most efficient offense in NBA history.

Now that he’s running his own team in Houston, though, it appears that Silas won’t be quite as rigid with his assistant coaching assignments.

While acknowledging that each coach will “tilt” in a certain direction, he won’t have anyone in a set coordinator role. Here’s how Silas explained the dynamic after Wednesday’s training camp practice:

Here, we don’t have coordinators. I have Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver kind of tilted toward the offensive side. John Lucas, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop are tilted to the defensive side. But I think it’s good for a coach’s growth to be able to do a little bit of everything.

DeSagana was running on a two-on-two, pick-and-roll drill today. Luc was down on the other end doing switching, pick and rolls. Everybody gets to touch a little bit of everything. There are certain focuses that I’m thinking about, those guys tilt either way, but they’re basketball coaches. They’re going to be allowed to do so.

Hornacek and Lucas are Houston’s most tenured assistants, with each having served as a head coach at multiple other NBA franchises. Thus, beyond their personal areas of expertise, it makes sense from an experience perspective to spread them out. It might also allow Hornacek and Lucas to serve in a mentor role to younger assistants such as the 36-year-old Weaver, 33-year-old Higgins, and 38-year-old Diop.

Silas said he would be getting together with his assistants on Thursday to map out lineups and plans for Houston’s upcoming preseason games, which begin on Friday night in Chicago.

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Rockets formally announce staff of assistant coaches for Stephen Silas

John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop are officially assistants in Houston, according to the team.

The Houston Rockets on Monday announced that John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, Rick Higgins, and DeSagana Diop will join head coach Stephen Silas’ staff as assistant coaches.

Agreements with all five assistant coaches had been previously reported. However, with training camp for the 2020-21 season starting Tuesday morning at Toyota Center, each addition needed to be finalized.

Here’s how each coach is described (in this order) in the official press release, which was sent out by the team late Monday.

John Lucas:

Lucas, who was the first overall pick by Houston in the 1976 NBA Draft, re-joined the Rockets organization as their Director of Player Development prior to the 2016-17 season.  He was head coach of San Antonio and Philadelphia for stretches during the 1990’s and for Cleveland in 2001-02 and 2002-03.  Lucas is widely respected throughout the sports community for his ability as a mentor and has helped numerous athletes develop professionally and personally.

Jeff Hornacek:

Hornacek was a key member of the Utah Jazz during the mid-to-late 1990’s and for his career, shot 49.6% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range, and 87.7% from the foul line.  He joined the Jazz as a shooting coach in 2007 and became an assistant coach in 2010-11.  Hornacek was head coach of Phoenix for two and a half seasons from 2013-16 and for two seasons with New York from 2016-18.  Rockets forward P.J. Tucker played for Hornacek during his time with the Suns.

Will Weaver:

Weaver joins the Rockets after guiding the Sydney Kings of the NBL in Australia to the best record in the league and the championship game in his first season as head coach.  In 2018-19, he was named NBA G League Coach of the Year after leading the Long Island Nets to the championship game.  Weaver began his NBA career as the video coordinator for Philadelphia in 2013-14 before transitioning to the role of special assistant to the head coach for two seasons, followed by two seasons in that capacity for Brooklyn.

Rick Higgins:

Higgins spent the past two seasons with Orlando as associate coach/player development.  Prior to joining the Magic, he was with Charlotte for eight seasons, serving as a basketball operations assistant, video scout and coaching associate/video coordinator.  Higgins played collegiately for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  His father, Rod, played in the NBA for 13 seasons and is currently the vice president of basketball operations for the Atlanta Hawks.

DeSagana Diop:

Diop was the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and was a starter for Dallas during its run to the Finals in 2006.  Following a 12-season career, he joined the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League as a player development coach in 2014-15 before being promoted to assistant coach the following season.  Diop spent the past four seasons as a coaching associate on Quin Snyder’s staff in Utah.

With the complete coaching staff in place, Houston’s training camp will begin Tuesday with limited individual workouts and COVID-19 testing. Group activities will not commence until Sunday, Dec. 6.

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Jeff Hornacek vows to bring experience, ‘little things’ to Rockets

“That’s what hopefully I can give to Stephen and give to the players, little things that I see out there that might help us,” Hornacek said.

In an exclusive interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, new Houston Rockets assistant coach Jeff Hornacek said his previous experience in the lead role with two NBA teams (Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks) should prove beneficial to first-time head coach Stephen Silas.

Regarding what he hopes to bring the Rockets, Hornacek said:

They’re plenty good enough, as players. I’ve learned a lot of things over the years from the different organizations that I’ve been with… what’s good, what’s not, and some of the things that I can help Stephen out with, being a ex-head coach.

There’s a lot of things that get thrown at you as a head coach that he’ll have to deal with. For me being an ex-player and went to the Finals — we never won it, but we had some pretty successful years — a lot of times, to get to that level, it’s the little things. That’s what hopefully I can give to Stephen and give to the players, little things that I see out there that might help us.

Now 57 years old, Hornacek led the Suns from 2013 through 2016 and the Knicks from 2016 through 2018. In 2013-14, he was the NBA’s runner-up for Coach of the Year. During his Phoenix years, Hornacek coached P.J. Tucker, who currently starts for the Rockets.

Known best for his motion offenses, Hornacek has plenty of familiarity with Houston from his playing days in the 1990s with rival Utah. (In his six seasons there, the Jazz faced the Rockets in the playoffs three times.)

More than a decade later, Hornacek began his coaching career as an assistant with the Jazz from 2011 through 2013. Regarding the value of his extensive experience over the years, Hornacek told Berman:

It’s experience. It’s like anything else. Players don’t usually come in as rookies and just dominate. It takes them a couple years to understand everything. Head coaching is a totally different job than assistant coaching. Anything that I can lend to Stephen, I’m here to support him and help in any way I can.

Hornacek also had kind words for the 47-year-old Silas, whom he expects to be a strong and well-liked head coach with the Rockets.

“Stephen and I have been talking for a few years,” Silas told Berman. “I knew he was going to be a head coach in this league. Excellent coach, smart guy, very personable with the players. I think guys will just love playing for him. To have an opportunity to be here with him and have such a great team — I mean, these guys are fantastic. So, I’m excited to be here, and help them and see if we can get over that [playoff] hump.”

Hornacek continued:

You can see all the jobs he’s had with other teams and what he’s done with them. It’s just his demeanor. Obviously he knows basketball. His dad coached. Just talking to him — when you’re looking at coaching and a group of guys you want to be around, you want to know that they know the game and they kind of see things the way you do. That’s going to make for a great relationship, because when we talk basketball, we’re on the same page.

Training camp for Silas, Hornacek, and the rest of the Rockets begins at Toyota Center next Tuesday, Dec. 1, with the 2020-21 regular season to kick off approximately three weeks later.

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Jeff Hornacek set to join Stephen Silas, Rockets as assistant coach

Formerly an NBA head coach with two teams, Hornacek would fill the “experience” criteria laid out by new Houston coach Stephen Silas.

Jeff Hornacek is “very close” to joining the Rockets as an assistant to new head coach Stephen Silas, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

Hornacek will join John Lucas as the first two assistants for Silas, a first-time head coach. Both Hornacek and Lucas have previously been head coaches with multiple NBA franchises. Given his status as a relative newbie, Silas has listed “experience” as a key criteria for his bench.

Now 57 years old, Hornacek led the Phoenix Suns from 2013 through 2016 and the New York Knicks from 2016 through 2018. In 2013-14, he was the NBA’s runner-up for Coach of the Year. During his Phoenix years, Hornacek coached P.J. Tucker, who currently starts for the Rockets.

Known best for his motion offenses, Hornacek has plenty of familiarity with Houston from his playing days in the 1990s with rival Utah. (In his six seasons there, the Jazz faced the Rockets in the playoffs three times.)

More than a decade later, Hornacek began his coaching career as an assistant with the Jazz from 2011 through 2013.

Beyond Hornacek and Lucas, other names reportedly in consideration for the Houston bench include Jazz assistant DeSagana Diop, Magic assistant Rick Higgins, and former 76ers and Nets assistant Will Weaver.

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Report: Potential Silas assistants include Hornacek, McMillan, Lucas

With Stephen Silas taking his first job as an NBA head coach, the Rockets are keen on surrounding him with experienced assistants.

With Stephen Silas set to become a head coach for the first time, the Houston Rockets are reportedly planning to surround the 47-year-old with assistants who do have prior lead experience in the NBA.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, candidates for the assistant coaching roles beneath Silas include John Lucas, Jeff Hornacek, and Nate McMillan. Lucas was a finalist for the head job alongside Silas and Jeff Van Gundy, and he already has relationships with many Rockets players as the team’s director of player development since 2016.

Now 66 years old, Lucas was previously a head coach with San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Cleveland in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Meanwhile, the 57-year-old Hornacek led the Phoenix Suns from 2013 through 2016 and the New York Knicks from 2016 through 2018. In 2013-14, he was the NBA’s runner-up for Coach of the Year.

Known best for his motion offenses, Hornacek has plenty of familiarity with Houston from his playing days in the 1990s with the Utah Jazz. (In his six seasons there, Utah faced the Rockets in the playoffs three times.)

Finally, the 56-year-old McMillan has served as head coach with three different teams: the Seattle SuperSonics (2000-2005), the Portland Trail Blazers (2005-2012), and most recently the Indiana Pacers (2016-2020). Known as a player for pesky defense, that trait has seemingly translated well to McMillan’s coaching style, with the Pacers ranking third and sixth in the NBA in net defensive rating over the last two seasons.

With Silas and Hornacek known best for their abilities on offense, McMillan might serve as the de facto defensive coordinator — similar to the role Jeff Bzdelik played for Mike D’Antoni from 2016 through 2019.

There is no clear timetable for when the assistants will be named.

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