Rose: Jackson has more triangle seminars in store
You know the drill. You file into a conference room. Watered-down coffee and stale pastries are served. A PowerPoint presentation instructs you on the latest ergonomic trend that will enhance your occupation or bring it one step closer to total automation. You listen attentively, your mind never wandering.
It's the seminar. Except imagine instead you are a member of the New York Knicks and the instructor in this case is Phil Jackson, eagerly teaching you the nuances of the triangle offense. That's what the 26-40 Knickerbockers are up to these days, with the team president holding a triangle seminar for his players Thursday, and another planned in the immediate future.
"I think it went well," said point guard Derrick Rose of the lesson, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "Then again, someone like Phil comes and talks to you and shows you things, you have to pay attention ... Then again, it was only one day. Hopefully he'll come back in a couple of days or next week and shows us a couple of more things."
Rose has been an ardent critic of the venerable triple-post offense, which the Knicks seem to be employing again in its purest form after a period of allowing coach Jeff Hornacek to modify it in more of an up-tempo, pace-and-space format.
The Chicago native said he and his teammates eagerly await the next instructional session.
"(Jackson) said he would (notify us of the next seminar)," Rose said. "All we got to do is wait and see when that is and go from there."
He added that Jackson also went back to basics, harping on middle-school passing techniques - such as using two hands to pass "with a punch," and saying a "ping" should be heard when the other player catches it.
"He hates the one-handed pass," Rose said.
The re-implementation has certainly had an effect on the Knicks' scoring load, most noticeably on Carmelo Anthony. With New York's 112-92 loss Saturday in Detroit - the team's fourth defeat in six games - Anthony has now played a season-long five straight contests without scoring 20 or more points.
Point guard Chasson Randle, in his third game as a Knick, actually took more shots than Anthony against the Pistons - 10 to nine.