New York Knicks

Phil Jackson tries to explain Fisher firing, just kind of rants instead

Published Feb. 9, 2016 2:04 p.m. ET

foxsports

Only a day removed from firing his coach, Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter to discuss the organization-changing decision he made when deciding to let Derek Fisher walk.

Jackson starts on a bit of a harangue regarding his graduate education in philosophy and gets to the basketball stuff later in this lengthy explanation:

I am sad about D-Fish. However, I'm not discouraged. Here is some things pundits should know before assuming 'next'. pic.twitter.com/cFnA8TQAhx
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 9, 2016

The second paragraph is where the on-court references come into play. Though he's a bit convoluted in his explanation, it does seem like the 11-time champ's message is that he won't be hiring someone to replace Fisher at coach purely because of ties to the triangle offense. That's likely a reaction to those who have written, said and reported that Jackson would prefer to hire someone from his inner-circle of three-sided minds.

"Inside that style of play for that leader is the idea that there should be a system of play that includes the group," Jackson writes. "How that is done can include using the [triangle] system of basketball, but doesn't exclude other systems that include group play."

Many have concluded that one of the reasons Fisher was let go was because of his back-and-forth loose commitment to the triangle.