Courtney Lee Acclaims Elimination Of Triangle Offense Reason For Early Success

What's the story?

New York Knicks shooting guard Courtney Lee believes that the reason for the Knicks early success is due to the removal of the triangle offense.

In case you didn't know...

Phil Jackson had a substantial amount of success running the triangle offense for Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers as the two teams won 11 championships combined, with Phil Jackson as their head coach.

The heart of the matter...

At the start of the season, everybody expected the New York Knicks to be a team that will end the season at the bottom half of the table, but against all odds, with the implementation of this new offense, the team is within limitation and it seems to be working for them.

Veteran Courtney Lee, in his second year with the Knicks, explains the reason for the smooth running offense in the early parts of this season as he said "I'm going to say it point blank and clear: we're not running the triangle, we're running a different offense that's more fast-paced and it's more suitable for my style of play." according to Peter Bottle of New York Daily Times.

Phil Jackson due to the success achieved by running his offense, tried to head Knicks coach Jeff Hornaceck into implementing the same. With the team as currently constructed, Lee understands simplicity is most important. Hornaceck with the freedom to do what he wanted to do after the departure of Phil Jackson, eliminated all complex elements from last year and it seemed to have worked as the roster is prospering. The numbers of many players have improved from last season, including that of Lee's.

Lee is of the mindset that with the young roster that they have assimilated, it is better to get quick clean looks rather than wearing down the clock and taking forced shots.

"I didn't say I wasn't a fan of the triangle. The triangle is just - my game suits the triangle also, but you slow it down a little bit," Lee said. "You make passes, you get it to the pinch-post, and then you play off that, but the offense now is to just get up and down. First, open look, take it and just try to make the right play."

What's next?

After an impressive start to the season, the Knicks (11-10) have slipped down to the 9th spot. With their star Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely with an injury, the Knicks will have to dig deep as they play against the Orlando Magic (9-13) on Sunday.

Author's take

The New York Knicks have been playing good basketball compared to their previous years. This proves that Phil Jackson, as many predicted, was the problem in New York as he tried to make the triangle offense work. It's still a long way to go for the Knicks, but its a start.