New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek is sticking with the triangle next season, but maybe not the big three.
Earlier in the week, Ex-Knick Baron Davis became the latest NBA watcher to criticize the franchise for having “no real plan.” On Wednesday, head coach Jeff Hornacek is attempted to disprove that criticism. Kind of.Hornacek told Al Iannazzone of Newsday that Phil Jackson’s triangle offense is here to stay; but the big three of Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Kristaps Porzingis might not be.
“If we go into it like we did this year, no,” Hornacek said before the Knicks faced the Jazz Wednesday night. “If we turned around and had a different way . . . maybe we start and go right at however we’re going to run it next year, full triangle or whatever we’re going to do, it’s possible. You never know how those things will fit. Maybe a second year is helpful for us.”
Porzingis will be back. It’s Anthony and Rose whose status for 2017-18 is uncertain. The former MVP is a free agent expecting to seek a max contract, and the nine-time All-Star will continue living dangerously on the trading block.
Rose admittedly isn’t comfortable with the triangle and Jackson seems determined to force Anthony into being the first superstar scorer to fail in his patented offense. Rebuilding around Porzingis looks more and more likely every day.
Since the Knicks return from the All-Star break, they’ve abandoned Hornacek’s offense and refocused entirely on the triangle. The coach admitted that his dual-offensive approach was a mistake.
“We were trying to find a balance,” Hornacek said. “We were trying to open the game up so the current players could run some of that stuff and still have the triangle set where we can get into some stuff.
“As it turns out, looking back, it probably wasn’t the greatest thing to do because you’re not focused on one or the other. You’re not getting enough of the same repetition of the same play and they can make reads off it. It’s something we have to make a decision on and just go with it.”
It’s clear that the triangle offense is here to stay. Put any dreams of that changing out of your mind. Hornacek and Jackson are going to use the remainder of the season to determine what will become of their makeshift big three.
The Knicks have a plan. It just has more holes than Swiss cheese.
