FanHouse JeffHornacek

Jeff Hornacek threw his name into the ring for a couple of head coaching positions this summer, interviewing with both the Suns and Bulls. He was passed over for Terry Porter and Vinny Del Negro, respectively, and decided to return to Utah as a special assistant.

As he told Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune, he was offered a job as an assistant in Phoenix by Steve Kerr, but because the offer was extended before Porter was officially hired, Kerr couldn't promise that Hornacek would be the lead assistant.

Instead of making a lateral move, Hornacek decided to stay put, and seems to be at peace with the decision. The Chicago job? Not so much. He can undestand being passed over by Mike D'Antoni, who briefly showed interest in the job, but seemed surprised John Paxson went with the similarly unexperienced Vinny Del Negro:

"I don't know what exactly happened," Hornacek said. "I called Paxson after that and he said, 'Yeah, we'll get together some day and talk about it.' Personally -- and I'm just guessing -- I think they wanted a big-name guy and if he did great, they would probably keep him [long-term]. But I think they offered [Del Negro] only two years and the lowest [coaching] salary in the league. To me, that's a sign they were not looking too far into the future."

The Bulls are taking their time with this whole "finding a coach" thing, interviewing just about anyone with a shred of interest in the job. According to Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times, John Paxson has already talked with ...deep breath ... Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Kurt Rambis, current Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin and former T'Wolves coach Dwane Casey -- and that's just this week!

Paxson was also scheduled to meet with Jeff Hornacek today and Kings assistant Chuck Person sometime this weekend, as well as John Lucas and Eric Snow sometime in the yet to be determined future. And, of course, don't forget about Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, who won't get permission from his current employer until Boston completes their playoff run.

Oh, and remember Avery Johnson? Forget what you heard about him giving Chicago the cold shoulder. Now that the Bulls have the No. 1 pick, he's had a change of heart and was expected to talk to Paxson today.

Count 'em up: that's 10 names, and that doesn't include Mark Jackson, who already interviewed, nor Pistons assistants Terry Porter and Michael Curry, who have been suggested as candidates in the past. Do you notice a recurring theme with all these names? With the exception of Thibodeau and Casey, they're all former players, which makes you wonder if a career coach who never had the chance to rub elbows with Paxson as a player stands much of a chance.

Jeff Hornacek just seems like he should be an NBA coach. And he also seems like he would be the ideal kind of candidate for Steve Kerr to hire. He would stress fundamentals and defense and probably require little to no meddling in the front office.

I guess that is why he is interviewing for the head coaching gig in Phoenix.

Hornacek will be interviewed this week by the Suns for a head- or assistant-coach job. He always figured to join the profession while growing up as a high school coach's son.

'Everything my dad said seemed to click,' Hornacek said. 'I've had those thoughts in my head since I was 5.'

Hornacek slowly has entered coaching, waiting for his kids to grow up before re-engaging in the NBA grind. Danny Ainge asked Hornacek to be among three candidates for the Boston Celtics' head-coaching job in 2004 but he passed because he had just moved to the Valley.

Hornacek is plugging himself for this gig too, pointing out that better coaching can get you 'two to four points per game' and that he and Kerr 'see the game the same way.'

Both of those are true, but they are still self-promotional. With good reason too -- a situation with a friendly GM, a slew of veteran leaders and a ready-made contender is a pretty good way to kick off a head coaching career.

If Hornacek lands the job though, and I would probably throw money on decent odds for him to get it, it will be interesting to see how his coaching style, having mentored/played under Jerry Sloan, fits in with a crew of veterans. And Kerr will get a guy that fits his style; the real question will be how much input Nash, Shaq and Amare have in the decision.