Since Phil Jackson joined the New York Knicks as team president, he’s been more open to talking to the media than any of his predecessors. He’s been widely regarded as one of the best coaches and basketball minds in the game and whenever he speaks, people stop and listen. Jackson has had success leading his teams to championships 11 times and has managed some of the biggest egos in the game but this Knicks team definitely presents a bigger challenge.
In this article from ESPNNewYork.com, he gives a very candid take on every player on the Knicks roster. It’s very uncommon for someone in Jackson’s position to do something like this and a couple things he said stood out.
Phil Jackson had this to say about Carmelo Anthony:
"“Carmelo Anthony is obviously the team’s only certified All-Star. It’s also no secret that Melo has to keep the ball moving, but he’s committed to doing this. Passing has never been a great strength of his, but in the triangle he’ll be able to have check-off reads like a quarterback looking for his first-option receiver, then his second and then his third. There’ll be plenty of iso opportunities for Melo, and in the triangle it’ll be very difficult for defenses to double-team him. It won’t be like last season where he had to take clutch shots with a gang of defenders in his face. Also look for Melo to get a bunch of post-up looks.”"
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One thing that’s great about Phil is that he didn’t seem to sugarcoat anything in assessing Anthony or any other player. He honestly gives his take on the Knicks’ franchise player and first ballot Hall-of-Famer. He acknowledged the fact that Anthony is a ball stopper and mentioned how the triangle offense will help Carmelo become a better passer. Anthony is a great post-up player and Jackson knows this, and wants the Knicks to exploit his skills on the low block more.
He had this to say about Andrea Bargnani:
"“If Andrea Bargnani’s initial season in New York was a disappointment, I believe he’ll thrive in the triangle. The 3-point shot is a bit out of his range, but from 20 feet and in, Andrea is a deadly shooter. And those are the kinds of shots that the offense will generate for him. Still, there are two aspects of his offense that he has to work on. Because he only approaches the rim in straight lines, he needs to develop some kind of change-of-direction move with the ball — perhaps a crossover dribble. Also, he’s a finger-roller, not a dunker. Could he have small hands? Or does he just need to be more aggressive?”"
This appraisal of Bargnani was a little surprising. He was brought to the Knicks to be a floor spacer and has taken an average of 3.6 threes per game over his career while shooting a solid 36 percent in his eight-year career. There’s definitely room for improvement but the three doesn’t seem to be out of his range. In his first five seasons he shot 37 percent from three but for some reason, shot under 30 percent in his last three seasons. This is probably what Phil is referring to and if this trend continues, it won’t get it done as a stretch four.
On Cole Aldrich:
"“Cole Aldrich is a blue-collar guy. He goes hard after rebounds, hustles around the hoop, knows his role, and can score with a jump hook. Last season, Cole played better the more he played. Right now, he’s our emergency center, who’ll probably get significant time only if somebody gets hurt or our other bigs suffer a plague of foul trouble.”"
Phil’s evaluation of Aldrich seemed to be somewhat accurate but misleading. Aldrich hasn’t played much in his career but in two starts last season, he averaged 13 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks per game. Of course, this is a small sample, but shouldn’t go unnoticed.
He was also dominant as a defensive anchor, holding opponents to 44 percent at the rim and he would definitely get playing time on a team like the Spurs. Aldrich is only 26 years old and could be a solid contributor in the post Stoudemire-Bargnani era. Per 36 minutes last season, he was solid. When watching him play, he seems to have the potential to be an Omer Asik-type player, except he’s great at the free throw line, shooting 78 percent for his career.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/27/2014.
It was interesting to have Phil Jackson give his take on every Knicks player and see things from a hall-of-fame coach’s perspective. The Knicks aren’t expected to do much this season but with a lot of cap space in upcoming seasons, they should vastly improve in the Eastern Conference.