New Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has the freedom to make alterations to the triangle offense, Ian Begley of the ESPN.com reports. Team president Phil Jackson told Hornacek that he didn’t need to go strictly by the book when it came to teaching and executing his beloved offensive scheme, Begley continues. “I think maybe the previous teams here were trying to learn it, trying to do it right,” Hornacek told Begley and other beat reporters. “Phil always stresses to me that you got to let these guys be creative. … It’s putting a little bit on them, little bit more to not go crazy and not make bad shots. But we’re giving them the ability to do different things out of it. As long as they stay in that spacing.” Hornacek’s tweaks are designed to push the pace and that was on display in training camp on Wednesday, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Jackson watched silently as the Knicks raced down the court on every possession, Berman adds. “If you get six easy buckets pushing the ball, it’s a big advantage,’’ Hornacek told Berman.
In other developments regarding the Knicks:
- Carmelo Anthony believes that free agent acquisition Joakim Noah will make the Knicks a more focused team, according to Jonah Ballow of NBA.com. Noah bolted the Bulls, who didn’t make a serious attempt to re-sign him, and inked a four-year, $72MM contract. “He pushes you to go out there and compete every play, every time,” Anthony told Ballow. “If not, you’re going to hear about it. I think that’s something we’ve been missing, this team needed, this organization needed and I like it. We like it.”
- Noah acknowledges that a comment by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who said he was no longer a frontline player, irritated him, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV reports in his blog. “It’s alright, he’s entitled to his opinion, you know?” Noah said to Zagoria. “I feel like I have no regrets about my time in Chicago. I gave it everything I had. To me, that’s all that matters. I know I did everything I could for that organization. I thought it was a little bit of a low blow, but at the end of the day I have nothing but respect for that organization and I’m just excited for that new chapter in my career.”