Phil Jackson believes in the Triangle offense. He believes in it so much that he hired Derek Fisher to implement it as the coach of the Knicks. So far, despite New York’s frayed relationship with the Triangle, it’s done nothing to dissuade Jackson. Rather than scrapping the system, he brought in another of his former players to help instruct the Knicks on the finer points of the Triangle. So now Sasha Vujacic is a Knick.
The former Laker, however, doesn’t want it to seem like he’s just there to teach, as he told ESPN’s Ian Begley.
“Of course, of course. I was always someone that helped players on the court. We have a lot of rookies and a lot of younger players –- I still consider myself young by the way -– so we have a great mix of guys and I’m looking forward to teaching them and giving them help,” Vujacic, 31, said by phone. “I don’t want to be a teacher because we have a coach that will lead us towards something [but] if there’s going to be anything needed for me to show or do I’ll be more than happy to do so.”
There’s reason to think that Vujacic can contribute at least a little bit to the Knicks this year. Though he’s 31, it’s not as if his game ever relied on athleticism or speed. He was always a shooter, and a streaky one at that. The Knicks were 16th in three-point percentage last year, so maybe Vujacic can help raise that ranking a little bit. If he can’t, if his shooting stroke is more off than on, he may be nothing more than a glorified assistant coach.
(ESPN)
