HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Interim Knicks coach Mike Woodson expects point guard Jeremy Lin to feed Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. (Getty Images)
Mike D’Antoni’s speedball offense was a perfect fit for Jeremy Lin, but the offense of new Knicks coach Mike Woodson most certainly won’t be.
Woodson is known for running an isolation-based offense that is the diametric opposite to D’Antoni’s system, which was predicated on spacing and ball movement. During his tenure in Atlanta, Woodson’s offense was nicknamed “Iso-Joe,” based on its reliance on Hawks star Joe Johnson to either score or create shots for teammates out of isolation sets.
While that is surely music to the ears of Carmelo Anthony, who excels in isolation sets, it could spell trouble for Lin, who was the subject of a meteoric rise from obscurity at the end of the Knicks’ bench to becoming a household name over the past six weeks. That rise was fueled, in large part to fitting seamlessly into D’Antoni’s fast-paced offensive attack.
“I love D’Antoni’s system, and it was perfect for me,” Lin said after the Knicks had their first practice under Woodson yesterday, “but I’d never been in D’Antoni’s system until this year, so I’ve played in other systems before. It’s going back to what I was doing before.”
It remains to be seen if that includes fading back into obscurity, but, at the very least, it means a diminished role in Woodson’s offense. One change could come in the form of Mike Bibby, who played for Woodson in Atlanta.
“My point guards, we’ve got to be on the same page,” Woodson said. “They got to be on the same page … They got to know what I want.”
At least publicly, Lin embraced the changes.
“You’ve got to learn and sacrifice and be part of this team, and we’ll figure out what we’re gonna change again,” he said. “It’s part of the process. … Someone might get hurt, someone might be playing well and roles will change again.”
Lin said he exchanged text messages with D’Antoni after he stepped down yesterday, and told his former coach how much he appreciated his help.
“It was good,” he said. “Just a lot of appreciation on my behalf.
“He said to just keep being aggressive, keep working hard, the [same] things he had been telling me.”