Zen Master? More like Zen Rambler.
In a bizarre and lengthy tweet Tuesday afternoon, Knicks nutty professor/team president Phil Jackson wrote a lot of psychobabble but also may have revealed a willingness to let the Knicks steer away from his beloved triangle offense with the hiring of a permanent coach.
Jackson posted the missive — a lengthy “explanation” of his basketball philosophy, management style and what he wrote were clues to the next step for the franchise — following Monday’s dismissal of coach Derek Fisher.
“I am sad about D-Fish,” Jackson wrote, to preface his essay. “However, I’m not discouraged. Here is some things pundits should know before assuming ‘next.’ ”
Jackson went on to reference psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow in a thicket of notions about “self actualization.” Jackson then got specific about management styles fit for a graduate business school class.
Jackson wrote he subscribes to the theory of transformational leadership, which moves an organization toward collective evolution, as opposed to the transactional approach, which promotes the status quo.
“This is also a clue for people that inquire about who might work as a leader for this Knick team,” Jackson wrote. “Inside that style of play for that leader is the idea that there should be a system of play that includes the group. How that is done can include using the [delta symbol] system of basketball, but doesn’t exclude other systems that include group play.”
Jackson’s attachment to the triangle offense, which he employed to win 11 NBA titles as coach of the Bulls and Lakers, becomes the vital question as the Knicks consider their next move.
Triangle devotee Kurt Rambis was bumped up to interim head coach Monday, but other candidates — such as head-coaching novice Luke Walton of Golden State, David Blatt, fired by the Cavaliers, and Mark Jackson — are not strict triangle teachers.
Walton and Steve Kerr run a composite of Jackson’s triangle, the Spurs’ motion offense and Mike D’Antoni’s Suns speedball. At the Garden less than two weeks ago, Kerr said of his mix, “We use a lot of the concepts. We don’t run the triangle per se. But we run a lot of actions that come directly from my experience with Phil Jackson.’’
In his essay, Jackson wrote of the style of transformational leadership he subscribes to “has more to do with the group goals and the esteem of an individual led by the group achievements. It involves moving the organization or culture of a group to a higher nature.’’
Tuesday night on MSG Network, Jackson attempted to clarify his tweet.
“There’s a style that I’m looking for in coaches and in how you approach your players,’’ Jackson said. “And it makes sense because I have a certain parameter of things that I believe and those things are sensical to me about taking care of your players and how to take care of an individual. Part of it is that players are looking to fulfill themselves as players, and that’s our job to nurture that as coaches. The other thing is about the leadership style. I just use that point too, of the leadership style. There’s some styles that are different. I like a style that’s a little more group-oriented.
“Not saying anything about Derek. He was part of my coaching teams for a number of years, so he understands that. But it just says something about the way we plan to play basketball and the way we wanted to look.”
Before Tuesday’s game against the Wizards, when asked if he knew the meaning behind Jackson’s tweet regarding transformative management style, Rambis cracked, “I know what a transformer is.’’
Turning serious, Rambis said, “I just got to be me. I‘ve tried to connect with all the individuals in our departments to see what we can do better. I know you got to have great communication with players and they respond better and perform better when they know what their role is, what I expect from them as a whole. That communication is going to be important. That’s what I have to get across to players. It doesn’t matter what skill set you have. If you’re not playing hard, you’re wasting that skill set.’’
Tom Thibodeau, a hard charger who gets his players to play hard, also clashed with the Bulls front office, causing dysfunction. Thibodeau is not a triangle devotee but may be perceived as a transactional leader — in Jackson’s eyes.
According to sources inside the Garden, Jackson was not enthralled with what transpired with Thibodeau in Chicago in which a divisive environment existed for a couple of seasons.
The Zen Master still is friendly with Bulls front-office types Jim and John Paxson and has heard stories.
When Jackson was asked about Thibodeau Monday, he acted as if someone inquired about his hemorrhoids.
Fisher tweeted out his own statement before Tuesday’s game.