The New York Knicks recently demoted veteran guard Arron Afflalo to the bench, with interim coach Kurt Rambis telling the media that he and Afflalo had had a conversation about the move.
Just one problem: Afflalo says that conversation never happened.
“There’s no breakdown in communication,” Afflalo said Wednesday, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “We never had the communication. I don’t know why he would say there was a conversation.”
Rambis said the move came via a “front office consensus,” implying that Phil Jackson played a role in benching Afflalo in favor of former Laker Sasha Vujacic.
“It was something that we talked about when he was injured and wanting to move in that direction,” Rambis said. “For a while looking at our starting group and what can we do to energize our starting group. What adjustments could be made, changing we could make to get them playing with more pace, more execution, more ball movement.
“We feel it would really help us out when he embraces that role and decides that’s something he feels comfortable with. But I get that he wants to start.”
Afflalo wasn’t buying the explanation.
“They’re entitled to their opinion. That’s their opinion. That being said, I play for the Knicks and I’m just going to do my job to the best of my ability,” he said. “But again, that’s their opinion. That doesn’t necessarily mean that was the issue or I’m better-served in a different position. That’s just their opinion.”
Of note: the fact that Afflalo has an $8 million player option for next season, and some have speculated that the Knicks are attempting to drive him away from exercising it with moves like this.
Jackson seems to be puppeting his coach around again, bearing in mind that he reportedly wants to give Rambis the full-time job. There’s no way of knowing which side is telling the truth here, but it’s a bad look for the Knicks either way.
