Derek Fisher Responds to Rajon Rondo's Comments on Triangle Offense
One day after Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo questioned if the New York Knicks would be a good fit for him in free agency because of the triangle offense, Knicks head coach Derek Fisher offered his opinion on the matter.
According to Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal, Fisher suggested that a lack of success against the triangle contributed to Rondo's dislike for it:
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Per Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post, Fisher also declined to label the former Boston Celtics star as an "elite" point guard:
When asked about the offense popularized by current Knicks president and longtime Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson on Saturday, Rondo dismissed it as a system that plays to his strengths, according to ESPN.com's Ian Begley: "The triangle's not really a good look for me, I don't think," Rondo said.
Fisher and Rondo had plenty of battles on the court when they played for the Lakers and Celtics, respectively, including meetings in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals.
Rondo helped lead the C's to the NBA title in 2008, and the four-time All-Star performed particularly well in the clinching Game 6 against L.A. with 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
Despite that, Fisher clearly took offense to Rondo's comments, and it certainly seems unlikely that they would be a good pairing from a coach-to-player perspective.
The Knicks desperately need a point guard to effectively run the triangle and facilitate to the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis with Jose Calderon reaching the end of the line, but Rondo doesn't seem to be in the cards.
Although the soon-to-be 30-year-old veteran is enjoying a strong year in Sacramento, with averages of 11.9 points, 11.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game, his attitude has been a big question mark since he was traded from the Celtics to the Dallas Mavericks last season.
New York certainly doesn't need a feud between a player and the coach given how intense the media scrutiny is in the Big Apple, and that alone may be reason enough for the Knicks to avoid the former NBA champion.
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