Jeff Van Gundy is a Hater
During the nationally televised basketball game today, Jeff Van Gundy joked the Lakers run a “Triangle 24 Offense.” Was that a shot at Kobe?
According to Phil Jackson, the Lakers only run the triangle about half the time. There’s friction in the game, such as broken plays, fast breaks, early and ill-advised shots, etc., factors which preclude the players from running the triangle.
After Gasol’s arrival, the Lakers’ efforts to run the triangle have been fairly cosmetic, since Pau is relatively new to the team. At times, the players do try to set up the triangle offense, evidenced by the scrambling toward their spots after Phil’s familiar sharp whistle. However, the triangle’s effectiveness is judged by the secondary and tertiary movements after the initial read of the defense. Too often the offense doesn’t progress into its various forms, as Gasol will simply get out of the post to set a screen or pop out for a jumper; these are just natural parts to his game developed in Memphis.
But the Lakers have also simplified the offense for Pau. They run more screens (Pau loves to set the high screens) and employ the 2-man game far more often, particularly with Kobe and Pau, who have taken to calling plays for each other in Spanish. The Lakers also try to push the tempo to generate easy opportunities in the open floor, thus circumventing the need for the halfcourt triangle offense.
Much of the simplified offense’s success should be attributed to Kobe, who has been brilliant at creating. Much of his playmaking since the Gasol trade has little to do with the triangle, but consists of attacking, drawing multiple defenders and creating baskets for his teammates. That simplifies the game.
The triangle was run more extensively with Bynum, who anchored the offense in the paint for higher percentage shots, facilitating key aspects of the triangle: inside/outside passing, cutting, and spot-up open shooting. Some of that has been abandoned for the sake of taking advantage of Pau’s natural talents.
That being said, Tex and Phil call the triangle an open-opportunity offense, which has remained true even with the addition of Gasol. Anybody who has offensive talent can draw from the well. Guys like Pau, Odom, Fisher, Farmar, even Vujacic have become consistent major offensive threats. Meanwhile, Kobe’s shot attempts are down. That’s the sign of a balanced, robust offense, and while the Lakers might not be running the triangle to perfection, they are adhering to its principles of floor spacing, movement, and unselfishness.
Charging that Kobe dominates the offense is correct if implied in a certain way, wrong if implied in another. He’s the best playmaking guard for the Lakers, so he’s facilitating the offense, just like Scottie Pippen did for the Bulls. That means his usage will always remain high. Not all players are created equal in terms of their ability to facilitate the triangle offense, as the Lakers found out with Odom. Tex Winters passes over the tunnel-visioned Jordan to praise Pippen as the Bull who ran the triangle masterfully. Thus, Pippen was the primary facilitator for the Bulls, as Kobe is with the Lakers (even with Shaq).
Thus, implying that Kobe is holding the offense back, that he’s putting his own game before the execution of the offense is quite wrong, and quite dismissive of how the Lakers have won so many games this season. But I don’t think Jeff Van Gundy is criticizing Kobe, I think he’s up to something else, a little more subtle.
Over the years, many analysts and commentators have taken to poking fun at the Zen Master’s mystical offense, calling the triangle a “trapezoid,” a “straight line,” a “rhombus,” etc. The criticism isn’t new and is quite understandable, considering their probable ignorance of basketball offenses. However, this criticism coming from the astute Jeff Van Gundy, a coach himself, is telling. Considering JVG can’t find a coaching gig anymore, I’m not surprised at his shots at Phil Jackson and the Lakers’ success. I think JVG is implying that the Lakers are doing well, not because of Phil’s coaching and the merits of the triangle offense, but because of the brilliance of players like Kobe Bryant. Throw the ball to a player like Kobe, surround him with good players, any booby could coach them to victory. (No doubt Houston’s recent success must be killing him).
That’s Jeff Van Gundy’s style. Small and unassuming, yet in an New York minute he can leap and latch onto your leg in a death grip.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Jeff Van Gundy is a good technical coach…but he is missing something, either his style of persuasion.
i don’t think he’s hating…just trying to sound witty as an analyst.
what he probably means to say is that, although the lakers “run” a triangle offense, kobe is the main thrust. no different than when michael jordan commandeered the offense in his day.
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