Suns Fire Coach Jeff Hornacek Following Second-Chance Ultimatum

The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Jeff Cornacek, one month after they gave him a second chance and midway through his third season on the job.

The team officially announced this weekend that their coach and popular former player was relieved of his duties, and that an interim head coach will be announced by Tuesday.

Yahoo! Sports, which first reported the firing on Monday morning, stated that Hornacek learned about his dismissal after a conversation with Suns general manager Ryan McDonough on Sunday night following a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Suns’ 19th loss in the last 21 games and their 14th straight road defeat.

Sources previously told ESPN in late December that despite the organization’s well-known fondness for Hornacek, were forced to consider a coaching change much sooner than they had hoped due to a slide that had dropped them to 11th place in the Western Conference. The team was also believed to no longer be responding effectively to the head coach.

According to a source of ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Phoenix assistant coaches Corey Gaines and Earl Watson will be interviewed on Monday, and one of them will likely be named interim head coach. Last month, veteran assistants Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting were also fired.

Suns Center Tyson Chandler, who was signed to the team during the offseason and who has been struggling to lead Phoenix back to a better season, stated that there were no regrets following Sunday night’s 91-78 loss to the Dallas Mavericks (his former team) and before Hornacek’s firing was announced.

“I feel like throughout my career I’ve always been placed where I’m supposed to be placed,” Chandler said. “This definitely has been a tough season, but I feel like there has to be some positives that come out of this.”

Hornacek spent the first six years of his 15-year NBA career with the Suns, making his only All-Star Game in 1992. He played for the Jazz teams that made the Finals in 1996-97 and ’97-98, and lost to the Bulls each time.

Caption: NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 29: Head coach Jeff Hornacek of the Phoenix Suns reacts to a call in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 29, 2016 in New York City.