Making excuses for why the Triangle Offense didn’t work? Not on Kurt Rambis‘ watch. The New York Knicks’ interim head coach fired back at Derek Fisher.
The New York Knicks shocked the masses when they fired Derek Fisher just 54 games into the 2015-16 NBA regular season. It was an untimely decision that followed New York improving upon its 2014-15 win total by six games with an additional 28 outings remaining on the schedule.
Both sides have remained relatively silent on the matter, but as fate would have it, Fisher’s appearance as an analyst on NBA TV has sparked some controversy.
Fisher was asked about his experience in New York, and he had generally positive things to say about the people he worked with and for. One of the negative points that stuck out, however, was that he didn’t have enough time during training camp and the preseason to teach his players how to run the Triangle Offense.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, interim head coach Kurt Rambis took exception to what Fisher had to say about the reason behind the Knicks struggling to run the Triangle.
"“If you want to learn something and truly learn something, you have to immerse yourself in it. We didn’t fully immerse ourselves into practicing it, developing it, learning how to work with it, going through the breakdown drills to execute it properly. We skirted over things.“The real learning process of it didn’t have enough time to take place. We also didn’t allow the players the kind of time it needs in terms of putting in the time to get comfortable with it. Then you get into the season, when we weren’t scrimmaging a lot, practicing a lot. You need those days and times.”"
In other words, the Knicks had the time to teach the new players how to run the Triangle Offense—they just didn’t utilize the time properly.
Despite his previously being the associate head coach, Rambis has kept his mouth closed on Fisher’s tenure with the team. Fisher’s comments appear to have struck a nerve, however, as Rambis opted against the silent route.
Rather than accepting the excuse of, “We didn’t have time,” Rambis made it perfectly clear that the issue resided with the man calling the shots.
While Fisher contests that New York needed more time, Rambis retorted that the Knicks needed to make better use of the time they had. Just as Fisher spoke about the learning curve Phil Jackson is facing as an executive, Rambis touched on the way the coaching staff failed the players in facilitating that same process.
Rambis continued to combat Fisher’s comments by acknowledging that the Triangle Offense may appear complex, but it’s much easier to learn than it seems—with the right teacher.
"“First off, it’s not difficult,’’ Rambis said. “Like learning anything new, you have to open your mind and be receptive. That’s a huge part of it. Phil and Tex [Winter] always felt it takes players, regardless of who they are, a good year of when you’re staying in it and executing to get to a point to really understanding the nuances of it when you stop thinking about it. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult.’’Regarding Fisher’s training-camp changes, Rambis said, “We looked to do things out of a one-guard front as well as a two-guard front. We kept wavering back and forth.”"
Every system has its complexities, but the Triangle Offense is clearly worth learning if 11 teams won championships running it.
Now the interim head coach, Rambis has voiced his desire to be the full-time head coach of the Knicks. Thus, this may be a part of his audition process, as he further voices his belief that the Triangle Offense can work in New York.
That’s certain to earn him points with Jackson, who’s both his friend and team president.
It could also be a sign of a genuine difference in opinion. Fisher won five championships playing for Jackson in the Triangle Offense, but Rambis was an assistant coach for two title runs with that same system.
In other words, Rambis has been present for the process of teaching players how to run the system, and the results that followed.
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