After three seasons, the New York Knicks and President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson mutually parted ways prior to the start of the 2017-18 NBA season. Despite 13 championships as a player and head coach, Jackson could not turn around the franchise he once played for.
Along with Jackson's feud with Carmelo Anthony, he insisted on implementing the triangle offense. While it is one of the greatest offensive systems and teams still use elements of it, the game has changed since Jackson's coaching days with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Head coach Jeff Hornacek believes the triangle offense was a potential reason for not being able to attract free agents according to Ian Begley of ESPN:
“I think it probably was,” Hornacek said when asked if the triangle was a “hang-up” for potential free agents last summer. “I think we truly believed that we could blend it [into Hornacek’s preferred offense]. And we found out that probably wasn’t great.”
There are many reasons why the Knicks have not been an attractive destination for free agents and trying to mix two offenses was definitely one of them. As Hornacek has finally been able to implement his offensive system in his second season in New York, he is reportedly on the hot seat now as they have been linked with Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson.
After an optimistic 18-18 start, the Knicks have fallen apart following Kristaps Porzingis' injury and a challenging January. While Porzingis is not expected to return until the second half of the 2018-19 season, the hope is he can attract a big name to New York and speed up the rebuilding process.
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