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Could David Blatt replace Jeff Hornacek with the Knicks?

Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Criticism of David Blatt might be unfair, but what adjustments does he have left?

Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt has made it clear that he wants to return to the NBA. If Jeff Hornacek falters with the New York Knicks in the upcoming season, Blatt may well have his ticket back.

“Blatt, who has enjoyed tremendous success abroad, owns an impressive resume. No question about it. But you know the old saying, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And Blatt has connections with people in high places inside the Knicks front office, namely team president Steve Mills and newly hired front office executive Craig Robinson,” Frank Isola of the Daily News reported. “All three were teammates at Princeton under legendary coach Pete Carril and remain close. You can connect the dots from here.”

That of course begs a question. What exactly does Hornacek need to do with a Knicks’ team that isn’t expected to do much? Isola noted that it “begins with Hornacek repairing his relationship with Kristaps Porzingis,” which would certainly be a good start.

Porzingis has had an active offseason. After skipping his exit meeting with then team president Phil Jackson, Porzingis was reportedly on the trade block, although Hornacek has said that that’s no longer the case.

In less than two years as a head coach in the NBA, Blatt has an 83-40 record and led the 2015 Cavaliers to an Eastern Conference championship. Obviously, a lot of that had to do with having LeBron James on his team and ultimately, Blatt failed in Cleveland because he didn’t have a better relationship with LeBron.

But with the Knicks repeated failures, his connections, and his record, it’s highly possible (if not probable) that Blatt will coach New York at some point in the near future.

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