Wow Knicks are listed under "Nonbelievers"
As the analytics movement picks up steam, Knicks president Phil Jackson remains a conscientious objector. In a recent interview in the New York Times, he questioned the staying power of statistics-based offensive trends emphasizing spacing and 3-point shooting. "I think it's still debatable about how basketball is going to be played, what's going to win out," the Zen Master said in defense of the triangle offense, which encourages the more traditional type of play Jackson admires.
With their lavish budget, the Knicks have proved willing to spend over the years, including nominal investments in analytics. The Knicks subscribed to SportVU before it went league-wide, have utilized Catapult technology and employ a director of analytics, Mike Smith, with an assistant. Smith's background is in video rather than statistical analysis, however, and our sources cast doubt on how interested the team's decision-makers really are. Director of player personnel Mark Warkentien, who hired analytics pioneer Dean Oliver when he was with the Denver Nuggets, is a believer, but Jackson calls the shots and coach Derek Fisher is running Jackson's offense.
In Jackson's first season in charge, New York has been an embarrassing flop, in part because the Knicks have completely reversed their style of play from two seasons ago. The 2012-13 Knicks won 54 games and set an NBA record for 3-point attempts and makes. This season's Knicks lead the NBA with the highest percentage of shots from midrange, giving New York the league's least efficient shot distribution
So far there isn't anything logical about Phil Jackson (Zen Master) decision-making as Knicks president
