“You Can’t Do That”: Former Knicks’ Player Sheds Light On Phil Jackson’s Failed Triangle Offense

When we talk about the New York Knicks, we think about their reign in the ’90s. A time when every person called themselves a Knicks fan but it seems like they lost that terror long ago. In 2011, the Knicks signed a player that became a vital part of the organization.

The now Portland Trail Blazers’ player, Carmelo Anthony opened up about why the Knicks’ Former President failed in bringing back their glory days with an emphasis on the triangle offense.

What went wrong with Phil Jackson’s triangle offense?

Anthony stated, “When Phil Came, it was like I am going to do it the way I want to do it. I got to bring the personnel in here to fit the system that I am trying to run.” He further explained that when players failed to fit into the triangle, he would resort to other methods. “He started slowly picking the team apart and putting in his pieces that he felt would work in that triangle”.

Anthony made it clear that although the strategy is good, it hasn’t evolved with the game. “The game is getting faster. Guys are getting quicker. Guys are jumping out the gym. It’s like, ‘No, we can’t slow it down when we got a fast break. We can’t play in the two-guard front when we got Derrick Rose and Raymond Felton’—you can’t do that.”

Pestering something that just doesn’t fit is what landed the Knicks in this slump. Anthony concluded “… Again, we start slowing the game down. That’s where you see guys wasn’t comfortable in that situation, and I was one of them.”

Was the former coach the reason for the New York Knicks downfall?

Phil Jackson has taken a lot of scrutiny over the years for being the one responsible for the Knicks’ downfall. However, Anthony admitted that it wasn’t just Phil. It was a pile of errors made by the entire team that led them to this situation. Now, Anthony is playing for the Blazers and has become part of their big three behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Can the Knicks ever be the same again?