NEW YORK – Phil Jackson addressed the sorry state of the Knicks (2-6) Monday, preached patience with words such as “process” and “progress,” addressed the Triangle offense, Carmelo Anthony and more.
Patience? The Knicks have advanced past the first round once in the past 14 seasons.
Progress? The offense has looked like any other geometrical shape during most games.
Anthony? After shedding weight and coming into training camp in the best shape of his life, it appears once again that the former scoring champion is best suited as a power forward drawing mismatches on the offensive end against plodding big men. He’s shooting 39 percent through the first eight games (63-161) as he continues to find his place in the Triangle.
“It’s all part of the process,” Jackson said when asked about the struggles of running the offense during the initial stages of the team’s learning process.
At times, the offense has looked more like a square on one side of the floor and one player – usually Anthony or J.R. Smith – isolating himself on the other side trying to get his own shot off under duress with the shot clock winding down.
Anthony has seen his offensive production plummet compared to last season, but Jackson believes his franchise player can fill the role of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the primary scorer within the Triangle over time.
“The team looks to you to score and there are times when you’re going to have to pick it up and do that, but for the most part the opportunities are there and you have to be inside that system and play within it,” Jackson said.
Getting to the free throw line is one way Jackson envisions Anthony increasing his scoring average, along with creating better shots for his teammates off of his penetration.
“One of the things I thought that Carmelo did on Saturday night’s game that I liked was he got to the basket, he started driving the ball to the basket,” Jackson said. “That’s where the opportunities and the open situations in this game are really important because you’re inside of the triangle or you’re on the weak side. And knowing the difference between the two allows you the isolation.”
On the defensive end, Jackson wants more out of Anthony, who is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game – the lowest rate of his career since the 2004-05 season.
“I’m encouraging him in the aspect of offensive rebounding,” Jackson said. “There’s a pattern that every sequence of actions that we operate in this offense where there’s a rebounding responsibility. When I see situations where players are not rebounding and their role is to rebound, I’m very diligent about the fact that they have to go through their roles.”
Jackson offered a timetable for evaluation, saying that by Thanksgiving or early December he’ll have a better idea of who is and isn’t learning the Triangle individually.
“We just have to measure, always, what’s this team’s potential?” Jackson said. “What is this group’s potential? What do we have in front of us as an organization?”
New York has one of the game’s most potent offensive players in Anthony, an above-average point guard in Jose Calderon, and Iman Shumpert is playing his best basketball since facing the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals two seasons ago.
Amar’e Stoudemire can score in bunches, but can also give those points back just as easily on the defensive end. Jason Smith has shown the ability to spread the floor in pick-and-pop situations. Quincy Acy is an underrated role player who does the dirty work of setting screens and boxing out in the trenches.
Shane Larkin has shown flashes of potential as a change-of-pace point guard and, conversely, youthful inexperience at times when he turns the ball over while forcing the issue and pushing the pace. Tim Hardaway Jr. has seen more action of late after riding the pine at the start of the season, but remains pigeonholed as a shooter.
While the roster in need of more enhancements around Anthony, Jackson acknowledged he doesn’t deal with other general managers around the league on a day-to-day basis.
“I kind of let Steve Mills deal with those friends of ours on the other side of the coin there for the most part,” Jackson said. “There are situations where the business end of it is important and we deal with it. More than anything I think it’s just signing all those releases and signing all those papers that come across my desk that’s probably the difference.”
As the season progresses, Jackson’s attention will shift to the February trade deadline, the NBA Draft and free agency this summer to add better complimentary pieces around Anthony.
The Knicks need Jackson to earn the bulk of his $12 million yearly salary during those moments that will mold the team’s future in the immediate and distant future.
Currently, the Knicks are a step slow on offense and robotic because they appear confused as to where they should be on the court and are not reacting to what the defense initially gives them.
Despite Jackson’s profound success with the system, he is allowing coach Derek Fisher full reign.
“I’ve stayed away and tried to allow this team to have the dynamic that they might need,” Jackson said. “I think it’s a fine balance that I’m trying to walk as far as how much input to have and how much to stay away so that they understand the authority that Derek and the coaching staff is going to have.”
New York has now lost five in a row, including two straight games to the Atlanta Hawks – a team that beat the Knicks for the final playoff spot last season.
The team has failed to score over 100 points yet through eight games and ranks last in points (91.1), free throws attempted (15.6) and pace (91.3) per game.
A big reason for this breakdown in the offense is due to the loss of Calderon, the veteran guard deemed a perfect fit for the Triangle due to his shooting ability and pass-first mentality.
“We miss a lead guard the quality that Jose has,” Jackson said. “The composure and the ability to settle the team down and get organization of the offense out there with some savvy.”
Without Calderon and Pablo Prigioni for large portions to start the season, coach Fisher and his staff have done a “great job” weathering the storm according to Jackson.
Jackson praised the development of Shumpert as one of the team’s primary ball handlers and said he sees “growth” in the team and is optimistic it’ll turn into wins.
In retrospect, Jackson summarized the situation accurately after New York’s 24-point loss to Chicago in the season opener.
“Not ready for showtime, were we guys?” Jackson said.
No, Phil. The Knicks are not.
At this rate, New York is closer to contending for a top lottery selection than a championship in the near future.
Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
Daniel says
I still think the Knicks will be fighting for the 8th seed as the season winds down, but I’m not sure what we’re seeing now is enough to form an opinion off of. When Calderon returns and the rotation becomes steady, I think we’ll see how far the Knicks can go this season. 8th seed or bust, really.