ZEN’S THE BREAKS
O’Quinn wasn’t surprised to see Jax get the ax
ORLANDO, Fla. — Though Kyle O’Quinn admitted being surprised his buddy Kristaps Porzingis skipped his exit interview with Phil Jackson in mid-April, O’Quinn said he knew something had to break on the Jackson front.
Amid feuds with Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom he had threatened to unload, Jackson was fired June 28.
“It’s tough to see anybody go, but I knew a change was going to be made,’’ O’Quinn said after dropping in on the Knicks summerleague team Wednesday to take photos. “We didn’t know what. We knew something had to be done. That’s what they chose to do. I wish Phil the best, of course. In any organization, no matter who it is, you hate to see somebody go.
“[But] you could just sense it. We had a great team last year and things — the media, you blew things up a bit. I think the only way to get that negative stuff out is something had to be done. Not saying Phil was negative, but something had to be done to let the situation be at ease.’’
O’Quinn traveled to Latvia last summer to be at Porzingis’ kids basketball camp and is close to the 7-foot-3 phenom. They also share the same agency. Though O’Quinn didn’t condemn Porzingis’ blowing off the exit interview, he said he never could have predicted that his friend would do that. Sources told The Post that Porzingis missed the sit-down to protest how chaotically the organization was being run by Jackson.
O’Quinn said he has spoken to Porzingis “pretty often’’ during the offseason
“Kristaps is a professional,’’ O’Quinn said. “I was surprised. Of course anybody missing the exit meeting is pretty surprising — like, wow. But as a professional, he has his own choices, and he made that choice and he went through with it. I don’t think personally I would’ ve done it. That’s not how I would’ve done it. I’m sure he had a reason why.’’
AK nicks official called each player to inform them of Jackson’s axing.
“We got a courtesy call, headsup, what happened, how things will be moving forward, the predictions, as best they know,’’ O’Quinn said.
Nobody knows Anthony’ s uncertain status. Even O’Quinn’s contract could be peddled if the Knicks look to clear more future cap space as they go young.
“He’s a friend of mine,’’ O’Quinn said of Anthony. “It’s a tough topic to talk about. We understand what may happen. Would I be surprised? If it has to happen, like the Phil situation, I’ll give an honest reaction.’’
With Jackson gone, O’Quinn, the 27-yearold former member of the Magic who still has a place in Orlando, said he expects the triangle offense to be a thing of the past.
“[Coach Jeff] Hornacek, he has some things he would like to see us do more of,’’ O’Quinn said. “He’ll start Day 1 in training camp to get us to play the way he wants us to play. ... Some things will be a little faster, more ball screens, more movement will be the best advantage.”
O’Quinn said he was in the minority in “liking’’ the triangle. He said it worked for him “as a big who can shoot the midrange and make pass e s .’ ’ However, O’Quinn added, “Maybe the group we had wasn’t as a whole for the triangle.”