Jeff Hornacek: Gone, but never forgotten

It wasn't enough that he lacked athleticism; he also got stuck with this bum left knee, which placed major limitations on him. He played 14 years and half of his college career on a knee that doctors say will need to be replaced one day. Most people have a cushion where the bones meet in the knee; he has bone on bone. There were nights when he didn't know if he could pull up for a jumper without his knee "hiccuping" on him, as he called it. After one game this season, a reporter happened to find himself following Hornacek as they walked from the Delta Center to the parking lot and was struck by the how severely he limped when he was out of the public eye. But two nights later he was back on the court. In the past few years, Hornacek didn't run a step or pick up a ball in the off-season; he had to save the few remaining miles left on his knee for the basketball season. He had to play his way into shape. To the casual observer, Hornacek was a casual player: always the last one to arrive for games and practices, always the first one to leave. But what he could he do with the knee — extra running?

And yet, to the end, Hornacek was still playing at the top of his game, despite his years and his knee. In his final regular season, he ranked first in free-throw accuracy (missing just nine shots all season), third in three-point accuracy and 18th in field goal percentage. At the All-Star Game, he defended his three-point shooting title and teamed with Natalie Williams to win the 2-ball contest.

All along, of course, there were appeals from within and without the Jazz organization to return for another year, just as there was a year ago when he contemplated retirement. For the Jazz, Hornacek's departure marks the first step in the long-anticipated breakup of the golden oldie Jazz. He came to the Jazz seven years ago and was such a natural fit — for the city, the fans, John Stockton, the offense, Jerry Sloan, his own family — that owner Larry Miller has long regretted that Hornacek didn't spend his entire career here.

Missing link

Hornacek proved to be the piece of the puzzle had been missing for years. Rudy Tomjanovich, the coach of the archrival Rockets, was reportedly stunned when the trade for Hornacek was completed. "It's so hard to make meaningful trades these days," he said at the time. " . . . If you would have looked at Utah's team and tried to find the perfect fit, you'd have picked Hornacek."

The season before Hornacek arrived, the Jazz were 45-37. The following years brought records of, in order, 53-29, 60-22, 55-27, 64-18, 62-20, 37-13 (the lockout year), 55-27. That stretch included appearances in four conference finals and two NBA finals.

"We were missing something, and that something was Jeff Hornacek," Sloan says.

Now the Jazz will miss him again. Hornacek is quitting the game to spend more time at home — and home is Utah. The Hornaceks considered moving their family to Salt Lake City even before he was traded to the Jazz because of the family atmosphere. Seven years later, he has adopted Utah and vice versa. He's one of us.