Derrick Rose blames former Knicks president Phil Jackson and his insistence on running the triangle for messing up his time in New York, relays Marc Berman of the New York Post. The paper published a segment from Rose’s new book, “I’ll Show You” in which he is highly critical of the way the organization was run during his lone season there in 2016/17.
Rose explains that he was excited for a fresh start after being traded to the Knicks in the summer of 2016. He thought teaming up with Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah gave the team a chance to be successful, but he quickly realized it was a bad situation.
“I played through it, 60-some games, but I could tell right away it wasn’t the season I was expecting,” Rose wrote. “Lot of different priorities. Melo’s there. You know how he plays. Can’t change that. That’s what I realized being there. And he’s a great dude; I loved being around Melo. He ain’t gonna rub you the wrong way. Great dude, great spirit, great person, great teammate. … I liked Phil, but, come on, man, you’re still running the triangle? He was still forcing them to run it. I’m a slasher, a driving point guard. The triangle is okay, but not for the personnel we had. Melo couldn’t play that way, didn’t want to.”
Rose adds that coach Jeff Hornacek seemed to understand that an up-tempo style was a better fit for his personnel, but he was reluctant to challenge the front office because he was new to the job and had just been fired by the Suns. He believes Hornacek got tired of having meetings about the style of play, so he just accepted what Jackson wanted.
Rose also addresses the incident in January of 2017 when he failed to show up for a game and didn’t notify anyone from the organization. He explains that he was considering retirement and needed to go home to talk to his family.
“I had decided I was done playing,” Rose wrote. “I saw the same thing that was happening with the Bulls was going on with New York. I could tell that the season wasn’t going to be the season everyone thought, that I thought. I didn’t know if I wanted to hoop anymore. Especially when it started to feel like a business. Of course, you know it’s a business. They always say that. But you know it’s also hoopin’. But it had started to feel like all business, no joy. That’s when I wanted out. I wasn’t having fun.”
Rose admits that he handled the situation poorly and it probably cost him the trust of the organization. New York drafted point guard Frank Ntilikina after the season, and Rose headed to Cleveland in free agency.
“I loved New York,” Rose concluded. “We were losing but I felt I was playing great. I felt like they still could have built something — or attempted to. They got rid of me but I definitely wanted to stay there. It was a new way of basketball life for me, to not be sure where I was going to play next. I knew I’d be playing, so I just focused on working out, keep up with rehab, get in shape, and have to show you again.”
I think there’s several million Knicks fans who would say Phil Jackson ruined their Knicks experience as well.
But the triangle!!
Jackson was a great coach – one of the best ever. Jackson was also a bad front office executive. Not only did he manage the Knicks rather poorly, he’s been one of the people in Jeannie Buss’s ear the last few years.
Time and again, we see teams make bad choices when coaches make decisions about players. Some are worse than others, and there are a few exceptions, but the majority of the evidence shows that coaches shouldn’t be front office types.
That’s not the only thing that he was in with Jeannie Buss….
Phil has a broken back, can barely move.
So you’re saying we could have seen D Rose scoring 20+ Melo scoring 20+ and Noah not being so Lit? All they needed was someone other than Phil forcing square pegs into round holes??
Probably need new owner too in order to win
You reading this, mcdusty?
Never could figure what part of D Rose was more fragile; his body or his ego.
I don’t know. The triangle has produced what, 11 championships, 2 of the greatest shooting guards in history and I’m just trying to count out of all the players who criticized it, how many championships did they win?
Amazing isn’t it?
The triangle works when your point guards are smush Parker BJ Armstrong Steve Kerr and Brian Shaw.
I will give credit for those 11 chips. However, that offense cant work in today’s nba due to the athleticism of today’s player. Now in the knicks case Phil Jackson was hired to run the team. Hire a coach to install the triangle offense. His first choice was steve Kerr. (Who doesn’t run it in G.S) So he ended up selecting J Hornacek who didn’t want to run that offense in the first place. Imo phil was hired by Dolan with the Hopes of coaching the beloved triangle.
Well let’s say Tex Winters and Phil Jackson was not onces coaching and if triangle offense produce championships everyone, all 30 teams be using system
lol Phil Jackson had 4 best combination 2 Stars game has seen in Jordan,Pippin and SHAQ ,kobe so that had alot do it. You cant make other coach run your system expect win and yes u got have right personel or group players .
The entire NBA criticized the triangle on the knicks. If the triangle was so magical every team would run it.
The triangle is a component of every NBA offense. But some teams don’t run a lot of triangle actions because they have bigs that can’t shoot and or players that won’t pass.
I agree Rose is oversimplifying things with his criticism, but Melo was never a fit for the triangle… And frankly Rose wasn’t either. Best triangle offense guards can shoot lights out.
The situation in NY almost forced him to retire, but he loved it there and wanted to stay there? What?!?
The teammates the city the vibe and the optimism, versus the triangle and the offense management picked to use.
It’s having a job and co-workers you love, but a boss and organization that grind on you.
The Triangle did win 11 Chips and produced two of the greatest SG’s ever, but all it required of it’s PG’s was the ability to shoot. That is what made D-Rose so horrible for that system, well that and he isn’t very good anymore.
So what do you do with a point guard who doesn’t shoot as well? Continue to run the triangle? Sign that player in the first place?
Phil Jackson is a clown
So Jackson is a genius, in a given area. Put him in a different job and everything goes awry. See Michael Jordan.
What an entitled piece of (work) Rose is – this is a guy who was given a special rule so he coukd cash inearly saying he was not about business. He would have had no problems after his return if he had listened to anyone and developed an outside shot – it may even have reduced his injury risk.
This sense of entitlement probably started when someone took his entrance exams for him so he could play Division I NCAA.
He stated nothing personal against anyone. Said simply that the system didn’t work for him and felt they could have been more in something different. When he thought he was done he stepped back to reflect.
A piece of work is someone thinking athletes are suppose to put their health, physical and mental aside to make fans happy.
I would like to hear a Cavs excerpt… He quit, came back, got dumped, they went to the finals…
Pay attention to this man! His numerous individual stat stuffing accomplishments are far more important than any seven rings won by a hippy coach. He clearly knows that Gilbert Arenas is the new logo. Maybe he can help the Pistons by no showing the whole season.