NBA New York Knicks

No Surprise New York Knicks Struggling With Triangle Offense

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By @Greg_Sacidor

David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports

David Butler II – USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday night marked the dawn of a new era for the New York Knicks, as it featured the debut of new head coach Derek Fisher.

In conjunction with team president Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA Championships as a head coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Fisher is ushering in this new era of Knicks basketball by implementing the triangle offense. Made famous by Jackson and his former superstar players Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the triangle offense is predicated on spacing and a team first attitude, something the Knicks seemed to struggle with Wednesday night as they dropped their preseason opener 106-86 to their Atlantic Division rival Boston Celtics.

In their opener, the Knicks struggled with their new offensive scheme. For most of the game, Knicks players seemed hesitant on the offensive end, looking as though they were thinking too much, rather than letting the game come to them. As a whole, the Knicks would only shoot 40.6 percent from the field (20.8 percent from 3-point range). The Knicks would also commit 28 turnovers, which matched their total number of field goals made.

All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony and starting guard J.R. Smith especially struggled in the new offense, as they combined for 17 points on only 6-17 shooting. After the game, Smith told the New York Post that learning Fisher’s new offense will take a few months for him and his teammates, something both Jackson and Fisher himself emphasized during training camp.

However, the learning curve may not be the only thing that derails the success of the triangle offense in New York this season. Both Anthony and Smith must learn to ditch their old habits of wasting most of the shot clock just to create their own shot. In Game 1 of the 2014-15 preseason, this habit appeared for both players as they often abandoned the system just so they could find their own shot. Another problem that is hampering the system is the talent; the right mixture of talent is simply not there right now for the Knicks.

Aside from having perimeter players who are willing to play within the system, the triangle offense requires a team to have either a power forward or center that can score down on the low block, as well as have the ability to make a pass to one of the surrounding perimeter players if they cannot score.

When Jackson was coaching the Bulls and the Lakers, he had guys like Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman and Shaquille O’Neal who could all play this role. Fisher unfortunately does not have that luxury. Andrea Bargnani and Samuel Dalembert, Wednesday night’s starting power forward and center, simply are not good low post scorers. Bargnani is more of a stretch-four forward who likes to take mid-range and outside jump shots, while Dalembert is nothing more than a serviceable veteran who can get you a few rebounds.

This combination of not playing within the system from guys like Anthony and Smith, alongside with a lack of proper personnel will lead to the Knicks continuing to struggle with the triangle offense not only now in the preseason, but likely for the entire 2014-15 regular season.

Greg Sacidor is a Philadelphia 76ers and NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Greg_Sacidor or add him to your network on Google.

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