Schmeelk: There's No Reason To Believe Knicks Will Thrive In The Triangle
By John Schmeelk
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I'm in Indianapolis getting ready for the NFL Scouting Combine. I had no intention of writing anything about the Knicks until next week.
Ah, but with this team, you have to stay on your toes.
The trade deadline has passed and all the Knicks have left is to lose as many basketball games as possible to have the best chance of getting a high pick in June's draft. That should be all that needs to be said at this point.
Nope.
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So I get off the plane in Indianapolis to see all the excellent beat writers covering the Knicks tweeting about how the team has decided to re-embrace the triangle offense. I honestly thought it was a joke, but it's not. Not only will the team run the triangle more the rest of the season, the archaic offense will determine which players will be on the team next season.
It will all be based on how they fit in an offense that doesn't seem to fit.
The Knicks are actually following through with a strategy that has yet to work, and likely never will. If Phil Jackson wasn't who he is, it would be realistic to think of this as a legitimate tanking maneuver to help the Knicks lose as many games as possible before the season is over. It would be the perfect cover since this team has done nothing but lose consistently when committed to the triangle.
The idea that the last two close games provide evidence the triangle works is laughable. The Sixers were playing without their best player, Joel Embiid, and the Raptors were playing their first game without Kyle Lowry.
It has been widely reported that Knicks players have grumbled privately about running the triangle. They say it is predictable and slows the game down too much. Carmelo Anthony recently got so tired of talking about the triangle he started complaining about getting so many questions about it. For a team that might already have trouble attracting quality free agents, (Phil's "posse" comment, the treatment of Charles Oakley and the franchise's terrible record over the last 15 years) running the triangle will only make things more difficult.
Listing all the problems with the triangle offense is getting tiresome. NBA players don't want to run it. It emphasizes mid-range two-point shots, the least efficient shots in the modern NBA. No one, and that includes NBA veterans and college players readying for the draft, have much experience running the triangle. It is a system that even its biggest advocates, like Kurt Rambis, admit takes a long time to learn.
The offense also de-emphasizes the point guard. In this year's draft there could be as many as five point guards taken in the first 10 picks. Putting any of those floor leaders into the triangle offense would immediately take them away from the things they do well. Derrick Rose has complained publicly about the role of the point guard in the offense. Too often, he says, the point guard is simply planted in the triangle.
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Kristaps Porzingis has spoken positively about the triangle, but it is impossible to tell whether or not he believes in it or is simply avoiding rocking the boat. The triangle emphasizes post play, where Porzingis still struggles. He is far more effective in a pick-and-pop offense where he can find open shots off of guard penetration.
In other words, when Jackson and Jeff Hornacek search this offseason for players to fit into the triangle, they are not going to like what they find. Players like that don't really exist anymore in the modern NBA. Players aren't trained to play in that kind of offense, and they are not interested in learning.
Why make players digest a whole new offense when other options exist? Why force players into a system they are uncomfortable in? There are other systems that promote ball movement, unselfishness and floor balance. Jackson is proving to stubborn and self-destructive. There's no evidence the offense works without players like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal or Kobe Bryant.
From Jackson's perspective, it does make sense to recommit to the triangle, because he will have his fourth brand new roster in as many years next season. But that doesn't mean it's the smart decision.
Jackson is still looking to justify his legacy as a head coach by shoving the triangle down the Knicks' throats. He appears desperate to show the system can work without Hall of Famers. But it is in no way a good enough option to make this team into a winner.
The Knicks simply have to win his way, but during his tenure they have done nothing but lose his way.
For everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports, follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk
