Nope. I'm not saying TJ would be a better hire than Hornacek at all. I'm just saying there is not any objective evidence that supports Hornacek being a slam dunk better hire than TJ at all. There is no slam dunk evidence saying TJ would be a better hire the Hornacek either.
There is clear evidence of a potential bias in the favor of Hornacek when debating coaching prospects just because Hornacek is a Cyclone LEGEND.
That may be true for some, however my bias toward Hornacek is based upon a number of things related only to his coaching abilities.
1. Johnny Orr himself stated that Jeff was a coach on the floor. That's a pretty good assessment of Jeff's abilities as a coach and shows that he is very proficient at the college game.
2. Jeff's father was a basketball coach and coached him in high school. Thus Jeff was introduced to coaching at a very early age and was exposed to the coaching game at the high school, college and NBA levels.
3. Jeff came to college as a walk-on. Red-shirted. As a red-shirt freshman, he played in a few games and then became the starter for the rest of his career. This shows me that he is a smart learner and knows how to execute.
4. He was runner up for NBA coach of the year in his first year of NBA coaching. His peers realize his coaching talent.
5. Last year he took a bad situation and ended up with a pretty good team. A very good job of coaching.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...jeff-hornacek-coaching-playoffs-nba/25744071/
6. Jeff has worked up through the coaching ranks, starting as the shooting coach for the Jazz and then as the assistant head coach.
I agree that Hornacek happens to be a Cyclone Legend and in addition, a Jazz Legend (both teams have retired his jersey), however it is his coaching abilities that make him an attractive candidate for our job.