It was never clear whether Knicks president Phil Jackson was forcing/would force coach Jeff Hornacek to run the triangle offense.
It’s still not.
Jackson insisted he was fine with Hornacek deviating from the famed scheme Jackson used as a coach with the Bulls and Lakers. But now it appears the triangle is back, and Hornacek -- whose Suns teams used more of an up-tempo, pick-and-roll attack -- is expressing a long-term commitment to it.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:Jeff Hornacek confirmed Tuesday that management is using the remaining months to evaluate who fits the system, which has been re-emphasized as more of a traditional triangle since the All-Star break. Hornacek even made it sound like they were placing players in two different hats: the triangle yays, and the triangle nays.
“As times goes on, you say can they get it? Are they getting better at it? If they’re not, you go, OK,” Hornacek said. “End of the year comes and we’re having our discussions and you say, ‘Can this guy play this offense? We’ll say either yay or nay or he’s getting it, he’s getting better. So I’m sure that’s part of evaluations this summer.”
Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report:
Knicks practice open to media. Certainly looks like Kurt Rambis is heavily involved with teaching Triangle
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) February 28, 2017
It’s difficult to believe Jackson’s fingerprints aren’t all over this, especially with Jackson-favorite Kurt Rambis heavily involved.
What does that mean for Hornacek, who’s in his first season with New York? He can try to appease his boss, but this doesn’t bode well for the coach’s job security.
It also doesn’t bode well for the Knicks.
Acquiring more productive players should take priority over scheme. Committing too deeply to the triangle will narrow New York’s pool of available talent.
And it’s not as if Hornacek has done a bad job with his offense. Despite Jackson building a team with just three quality offensive players* -- Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Courtney Lee -- the Knicks still have a middling offense.
Their defense, guided by Rambis, is lousy. That should be the bigger emphasis.
But Jackson keeps doing his own thing, no matter how little anyone else understands it.
*Derrick Rose, who scores well as a driver, doesn’t qualify due to his shaky perimeter shooting and lackluster ball distribution.