If you needed further proof of Phil Jackson’s obsessive commitments to both the triangle offense and Kurt Rambis, I think you just found it.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN, the New York Knicks team president and his current interim head coach are hosting what appears to be a camp to review the triangle offense. The participants include several Knicks players in this summer school activity.
Take a step back for a moment and realize how ridiculous this sounds. A team that should be gearing up for free agency and starting to interview head coaching candidates is focused instead on getting players to attend classes about an offense that it has become mercilessly obsessed with – the same offense that may have been a significant reason why previous head coach Derek Fisher was fired prematurely.
And that’s not even the most significant part of the story. The fact that this is happening before coaching interviews (Jackson has reportedly informally talked to Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton and been turned down) and that Rambis is involved may be all the proof needed to believe he is coming back next year.
The Knicks are a team trying to develop young talent like rookie Kristaps Porzingis while still taking advantage of a short window to contend with Carmelo Anthony. Rambis is not the coach to do either of those things. But he certainly will run the triangle.
The whole situation in New York is a mess at the moment. Jackson’s incessant need to pander to an offense that won him eleven rings but may be outdated is becoming more and more of an issue every day. It has already led to an improving coach being fired and it seems poised to lead to a sub-par coach getting the job long-term.
Phil Jackson is one of the greatest basketball minds of all time, but he may need to face a reality check. He is not doing the job the Knicks thought he would when they hired him.
