NY Knicks: Amar’e Stoudemire says lack of triangle buy-in, not Phil Jackson doomed team

Former New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire talked about his time playing under Phil Jackson as team president.

New York Knicks fans have made up their minds about Phil Jackson’s tenure in New York, but Amar’e Stoudemire believes the Hall-of-Fame coach was doomed by several players on the Knicks refusing to accept the triangle offense.

While explaining that he was a fan of the offensive system that led the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to several championships, Stoudemire told the Good Show in Canada that the rest of the team wasn’t buying it.

"“I feel like Phil evolved enough for us to succeed,” Stoudemire said. “I think the situation with us was that everybody didn’t agree with the triangle offense. So it was always a conflict of interest with half the guys agreeing, and half the guys not. And if the team don’t agree to one style of play, it’s just going to be a losing situation.”"

Jackson’s legacy has come up in recent conversation after the ESPN/Netflix documentary The Last Dance reminded many modern-day fans of his achievements as head coach of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Amar’e Stoudemire brought hope back to the New York Knicks.

Stoudemire was a five-time All-Star with the Phoenix Suns before signing a five-year, $100 million contract with the Knicks during the summer the team hoped to lure superstar free agent LeBron James.

Famously announcing, “The Knicks are Back,” after signing in New York, Stoudemire burst onto the Garden scene, with an incredible stretch of play to begin the 2010-11 season. At one point, he scored over 30 points in nine consecutive games, breaking a 50-year-old franchise record previously held by Willie Naulls. The athletic power forward would be named to his fifth and final All-NBA team after his first season with the Knicks.

Of course, Stoudemire’s time in New York was marked by the team’s acquisition of Carmelo Anthony. After the Knicks showed signs of improvement playing in Mike D’Antoni’s open system, the addition of Anthony changed the dynamic of the offense between the ball-dominant scorer and the free-flowing Stoudemire.

The arrival of Phil Jackson as team president in 2014 added another complication. The team was split in their commitment to the triangle offense.

"“I truly enjoyed learning about the triangle offense,” Stoudemire said. “But apparently, as a team, we didn’t all agree.”"

In three full seasons with Jackson as team president, the Knicks compiled a dismal 80-166 record, the product of more than just a team refusing to accept an offensive system.

Stoudemire was asked on the Good Show if he thought having Jackson as head coach would have made a difference for the Knicks, and the forward said it didn’t matter who was coaching since the team didn’t want to play the triangle.

Over five injury-plagued seasons with the Knicks, Stoudemire averaged 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while leading them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.