The Phoenix Suns are currently in shambles, not just on the court but also off the court. The team has lost 11 of its last 12 games including nine straight and don't look like it has any hope of improving anytime soon. It has seemed like a sure thing all along that head coach Jeff Hornacek would be fired at some point, and many people thought it would have happened already, but Phoenix is hesitant to fire him right now, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
The Suns have made changes during this ghastly run, but Hornacek remains, and as of now it doesn't look like he will be fired anytime soon. Hornacek had his top two assistants fired a couple of weeks ago as sort of a warning shot to him to turn things around. Things have not turned around for the Suns, though; in fact they seem to be at an all-time low as they are coming off a blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns have reportedly had internal discussions about whether or not to move on from Hornacek, but they are planning to keep him for now. The Suns have changed coaches so much recently that it is hard for them to gain continuity, which plays a part in keeping Hornacek around. Also playing a part in Hornacek keeping his job is the fact that the Suns ownership reportedly truly likes him and wants to give him a chance to turn things around.
The whole continuity argument makes a lot of sense in this case because it is hard for a team to succeed long-term when the coach keeps changing, but Hornacek looks like he has lost his team. In fairness, the Suns did lose their best player, Eric Bledsoe, for the season after he had surgery on a torn meniscus, but the team hasn't been competing consistently. And then there was the incident with Markieff Morris throwing a towel at Hornacek.
There are arguments to be made for both sides, but at this point it seems like the Suns are leaning toward keeping him for now, considering things likely can't get worse. The worst thing you can say about a head coach is that he has lost his team, and it seems like Hornacek has, but the Suns seem to be going in the continuity direction this time.
