Brandon Jennings is still taking shots at the Knicks, even though he’s now in a Wizards uniform, relays Keely Diven of CSNMidAtlantic. After his first game for Washington on Friday, Jennings told reporters the change has been beneficial. “I’m in the same position I was in New York,” he said, “but just in a better system for me personally and with a team that actually plays together.” Jennings was never shy about criticizing the Knicks while he played there, perhaps surprised to see the inner turmoil in the organization after signing a one-year deal worth more than $4.8MM last summer. Jennings agreed to a buyout with New York and signed with the Wizards on Wednesday. He will be an unrestricted free agent again in July.
There’s more out of New York:
- Cavaliers GM David Griffin said the team agreed to take J.R. Smith from the Knicks in a 2015 trade involving Iman Shumpert so it wouldn’t have to surrender a first-round pick, tweets Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Griffin recounted the deal Saturday at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Smith and Shumpert both became contributors during the Cavs’ two trips to the NBA Finals, while the Knicks received Lance Thomas, Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk and a 2019 second-rounder.
- Coach Jeff Hornacek says defensive lapses, not the triangle offense, are behind the Knicks’ difficulties in closing out games, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Several players have been pointing fingers at the triangle, with Carmelo Anthony saying after Friday’s loss to the Sixers that other teams adjust during the games, but the Knicks don’t. “When we get down, especially in fourth quarters, we want to run something that’s part of a system,” Hornacek said. “The triangle aspects is one of the systems that you can run that hopefully they can’t double, hopefully they can’t switch. It at least gets you organized in a set.”
- Phil Jackson’s attempts to trade Anthony and Derrick Rose before the deadline are evidence that the Knicks will eventually revolve around Kristaps Porzingis, Iannazzone writes in a separate story. He suggests that Porzingis should be made the focus of the offense now, even if it means fewer touches for Anthony.
The offense needs to be reworked entirely. The triangle isn’t working with the team as constructed, and with the way the game is evolving, it may not work anytime soon. If you want to use the triangle, build a team around the triangle, don’t force it down their throats.
That’s fine if Phil wants to run the triangle. He just needs to coach for that to work
The Knicks principal issues are on defense.
The problems are offense are still there (though less significant), but are not related to the triangle and won’t be fixed by a change to any other offensive scheme or a non-scheme (complete freelance offense). If the latter worked, the Knicks would be fine offensively, since that’s what they have been essentially doing on offense.
The problem is personnel. Most reporters/fans critical of the triangle offense don’t even know what it is. Same geniuses that said D’Antoni’s offense didn’t work any longer when he was here. Despite the fact that Spurs were basically running an 80% version of D’Antoni’s offense.
I believe (along with the rest of the world other than Phil Jackson) that a head coach needs to determine his offensive and defensive schemes.
But the Knicks offensive issues are about personnel. Melo and Rose don’t fit the triangle, but they really don’t fit any offensive scheme that involves other players. So, the Knicks have a choice. Put in place a scheme and build to it. Or put that off until Melo is gone, and in the meantime, just use the free for all approach in the interim. This will retard the team development longer term but might keep the players happier for the moment.
Either way, until they can defend like an NBA team it’s really not that relevant in terms of results (wins and loses).