Is the triangle dead under soon-to-be-named head coach Jeff Hornacek? Not entirely, said Charley Rosen, one of Phil Jackson’s longtime friends who has been in contact with the Zen Master in recent days.
“It’s hard to imagine Phil caving in and abandoning a system that is entirely flexible and he’s had so much success in the past,” Rosen told The Post. “That’s absurd. It takes many forms. You can change it from the low post to the high post. You can do anything. People talk about it being mechanical and robotic. It’s not the case. Maybe it’s the case with guys who never played it before because they have to think instead of react.
“All the bulls–t the triangle is outmoded and you can’t have high pick-and-rolls? That’s how the Lakers beat the Pacers in the Finals. You can run high pick-and-rolls and can shoot the 3s. It’s propaganda.”
Sources have told The Post Hornacek has an option to modernize the triangle and run a variation, but Rosen said he believes reports are exaggerated. Jeff Van Gundy has said Hornacek doesn’t have to run the triangle.
Hornacek ran an up-tempo, pick-and-roll-heavy attack in Phoenix but doesn’t have the personnel in New York. Rosen said he believes Hornacek’s new offense will have a heavy load of triangle principles. How Jackson and Hornacek decide to namebrand the offensive system is of great curiosity.
“It’s not going to be a Mike D’Antoni offense,” said Rosen, who writes a column for Todaysfastbreak.com and is composing an online series on last season through Jackson’s eyes.
Rosen said he thinks Jackson liked Kurt Rambis to be the head coach but not enough to go against an overwhelming tide of negativity on many fronts.
“I think he’s a terrific coach,” Rosen said. “People don’t understand what went on in Minnesota — just look at the numbers. He had bad personnel. Ownership didn’t know their stuff. It was a lose-lose situation. And for him to come in the middle of this season and change everything, it confused guys and destroyed their confidence. With an improved roster, Kurt would’ve been fine. He’s good with the media, a great sense of humor but can be cynical.
“I think there was too much negative stuff floating around. Media had riled everything up.”
Rosen acknowledged Carmelo Anthony’s lack of an endorsement didn’t help.
Hornacek’s hiring was a stunner because he never worked or played for Jackson or ran the triangle. Rosen, however, said the media missed the boat by not pointing out Hornacek defended against Jackson’s triangle for 10 years. Plus, he worked against it in two Finals series when the Bulls faced the Jazz in the late 1990s.
“When you’re in the Finals, you’re doing heavy-duty scouting before,” Rosen said. “Your B team will run the triangle in practice. It’s not the same as coaching it or playing it, but he has a certain degree of familiarity.”
Even during Hornacek’s 10-35 final season in Phoenix, Rosen saw good things.
“I liked his demeanor,” Rosen said. “I spoke to Devin Booker, and he liked him. He didn’t have much talent. They destroyed that team, blew that team up. As bad a team as they were, they played hard and were unselfish, moved the ball, tried to play defense and made the extra pass. That’s a big measure of a coach.”