As we passed along earlier today, Knicks president Phil Jackson is reportedly unhappy with the team’s offense, which hasn’t incorporated many elements of the triangle. While Jackson and some of the Knicks players appear to be at odds over the triangle, it’s the team’s defense that has been the real problem — New York ranks dead last in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions, and hasn’t held any of its opponents under 102 points in a game so far. We’ve got some details on how the Knicks plan to tackle that area of concern, along with some other notes out of New York:
- The Knicks have put assistant coach – and former interim head coach – Kurt Rambis in charge of their defense, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). According to Stein, the club’s assistants weren’t assigned any specific areas of emphasis to start the season, but have asked Rambis to focus on defense after a troublesome start.
- Point guard Chasson Randle was “all but assured” of a regular-season roster spot with the Knicks, but a fractured orbital bone last month led to his preseason release. Marc Berman of The New York Post takes a closer look at the current situation for Randle, who says he has contemplated playing overseas but still hopes to return to the Knicks when he’s healthy.
- Summer signee Randy Foye received a modest one-year contract from the Nets and wasn’t necessarily viewed as a significant addition. However, with Jeremy Lin and Greivis Vasquez sidelined, Brooklyn will be very happy to see Foye return from a hamstring injury and make his Nets debut, writes Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. “It just gives us some stability, some leadership, defense and I think it’s gonna help us [and] help our young guys,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Monday. “He looked good in practice. [It’s] welcome news.”