Now that the New York Knicks have fired Phil Jackson as president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks it’s time for all team’s dirty laundry to leak out to the media. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, some within the Knicks organization believed Anthony’s influence over Porzingis was one of the reasons Jackson wanted to get rid of the superstar forward. One person told Berman that Carmelo, who has been openly opposed to the triangle offense, was “furious” after Porzingis spoke highly of the system late in the season.
Here’s Porzingis praising the triangle offense back in March.
Via ESPN
“We’re starting to learn it now the way we should and we should have been playing from the beginning of the season,” Porzingis said then. “So we’re a little behind. Hopefully, I don’t know when, we can start using it properly and making some impact playing it. I like the triangle. My whole first season, we played nothing but the triangle so I know it pretty well.’’
And here’s Berman’s report about Melo chewing out Kristaps for praising Phil Jackson’s offense.
Via New York Post
According to an NBA source, Anthony was furious to read Porzingis’ positive sentiments on an offense he disdains.
“Melo really chewed him out, lit into him,’’ the source said.
There were few positive comments regarding the triangle afterward from Porzingis, who proceeded to blow off his exit meeting in protest of the chaotic state of the Jackson-run franchise. Jackson admitted at his mid-April press conference the triangle was “met by resistance from the top’’ and “rebelliousness.’’
Despite Jackson’s firing the team still seems adamant in it’s desire to get rid of Anthony via a trade but with Melo’s trade clause in place it’s going to not going to be easy to unload him any time soon.