Derrick Rose agrees with Kristaps Porzingis about Knicks' triangle confusion
Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks look on in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Derrick Rose understood Kristaps Porzingis saying mass confusion exists within the Knicks because of their recent refocusing on the triangle offense.
“I just think that it’s hard when there’s 50 games in,” Rose said. “It would be hard for anyone or for any team to be 50 games in and the coach changes a few things in the offense. I think for any team that would be kind of hard. But it’s our job as professionals to go out here and do the things he wants us to do.”
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Derrick Rose understood Kristaps Porzingis saying mass confusion exists within the Knicks because of their recent refocusing on the triangle offense.
“I just think that it’s hard when there’s 50 games in,” Rose said. “It would be hard for anyone or for any team to be 50 games in and the coach changes a few things in the offense. I think for any team that would be kind of hard. But it’s our job as professionals to go out here and do the things he wants us to do.”
The Knicks went back to emphasizing the triangle more after returning from the All-Star break. Team president Phil Jackson even ran a triangle session for the guards last week.
But Jeff Hornacek said the Knicks haven’t changed things all that much. He said that within the system, a player is running near the middle of the lane instead of the corner and swinging the ball from there. But Porzingis said there’s “a lot of confusion” and it’s “from top to bottom.”
“We have changed different things,” Hornacek said. “We changed the defense in the beginning. The offense has changed a little bit midseason. But that’s part of a long season. Teams make different adjustments.
It’d be nice to play the same way the whole time but when things aren’t working you got to try some other things. It hasn’t been the same thing all year but I think that’s where [Porzingis] was coming from.”
That said, Hornacek admitted the Knicks went with less triangle and more one-on-one and isolation play in Sunday’s loss to the Nets. Porzingis mentioned that too.
Hornacek said it was because the Nets play at a fast pace primarily, and when Carmelo Anthony got the hot hand they ran isos with him.
“That’s what happens sometimes,” Hornacek said. “Melo got hot there for a while. The guys were finding him. That’s where a little more isolation came in. I don’t think the offense was the problem last game.”
Moments of silence
The Knicks honored and held a moment of silence before the game for their former scout Ben Jobe, who passed away last week, and their former longtime broadcaster John Andrariese, who died Monday.