The other surgery behind NBA’s fears over Knicks’ Tony Wroten
By Marc Berman May 31, 2016 | 8:02pm

There’s a potent reason 6-foot-6 Knicks point guard Tony Wroten was deemed a big risk by other teams after the 76ers cut him in late December.

According to a longtime mentor from Seattle, Wroten’s rehab from 2015 ACL right-knee surgery was not his first one. Will Conroy, the University of Washington assistant who was on the roster of four NBA teams, told The Post Wroten tore the ACL of the same knee his junior year at Seattle’s Garfield High School while playing wide receiver for the football team.

Wroten blew out his knee reversing the field after a reception and missed his junior year of high-school basketball.

“I had told him not to play football that year,’’ Conroy said.

When his right knee began hurting late in the 2014-15 season, the Sixers discovered damage to the grafts of that original surgery. The Sixers medical staff elected to do the entire ACL surgery again. According to Conroy, the belief was the high-school surgery was rushed and done improperly.

The Knicks signed Wroten in March, knowing he wouldn’t play, knowing he would need more rehab, knowing he was still an injury risk. As late as April 8, Knicks coach Kurt Rambis called Wroten’s future “a complete unknown’’ and a source said then his legs still weren’t strong.

According to an NBA source, however, there is much greater optimism in the seven weeks since the season ended, with Wroten’s progression spiking. The source says Knicks president Phil Jackson, desperate for a backcourt penetrator, is considering Wroten to be the starting point guard next season.

“I wouldn’t count Tony out,’’ the source said.

Wroten, who played at Washington, went home to Seattle last week to work out with Conroy, who took him under his wing in grade school. The Knicks cleared Wroten for full contact two weeks ago.

“He’s got his explosiveness back,’’ Conroy told The Post. “He’s a top-20 talent. If he puts it all together, the Knicks have gotten a steal. He can really get into the lane and finish over the top. He just doesn’t have the same pull-up jumper as Russell Westbrook, but he’s got similar explosion.”

Though that could be hyperbole, Conroy’s remarks reminded of the eyebrow-raising remark from Sixers coach Brett Brown in April.

“We were always trying to grow his perimeter game, but he had a downhill mentality that really at times was jaw-dropping,’’ Brown said. “With his size and athleticism, there was a wow factor. He was a little mini LeBron [James] playing downhill attacking the basket.”

The Knicks likely are to debut him in the Orlando summer league in July, though Wroten would be entering his fifth season.

“Usually players with multiple years in the league aren’t happy for summer league,’’ Conroy said. “He’s fired up. He hasn’t played in a while.’’

Wroten’s 2014-15 season in Philadelphia was cut short by knee surgery after 30 games. He returned for just eight games this past season, but his legs still weren’t right.

“He’s a big point guard, a tall kid that can do things,” Jackson said of Wroten. “Our process is going on, it’s a little underground, a little beneath the surface but this is one of our desires, that we have to have a penetrator.’’

nixluva wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:Love the part about his progression spiking over the last 7 weeks. Also if he is cleared for contact he will definitely be playing in the summer league games.

I have to say that i've learned a lot about ACL injuries from all of this. In any event I am really pulling for this kid to have a bounce back season and long career. The Knicks most surely could use a break and hopefully Wroten can give this team an explosive, penetrating guard we need.

I think the long layoff and rehab is really gonna help Wroten a lot. More time and work to build up the knee can't hurt at all.

Remember when no one wanted Chris Paul because he had no cartilage in his knee? Good times.

The source says Knicks president Phil Jackson, desperate for a backcourt penetrator, is considering Wroten to be the starting point guard next season.

This is very interesting to me. I wonder if Hornacek changes this dynamic?

If Wroten is right, I think he could be very good. He still has a lot to learn about the position, but I've said for a while that I could see Phil seeing him as a sort of version of Ron Harper.

SocraticBallin22 wrote:Optimistic article. If his source is credible and he has in fact gotten his explosion back that he had previously, it would be a steal and he would instantly become the best point guard on the roster. When healthy, he is one of the most explosive guards in the game with the ability to finish in traffic.

Wroten has ZERO experience in the Triangle.

I'd prefer Vujacic handling the point guard role.

Lopez (C)
Porzingis (PF)
Anthony (SF)
Vujacic (PG) defending the opposing SG
Fredette (SG) defending the opposing PG

Come on (!) Let's get the Triangle running right for a couple of years . . .

crzymdups wrote:

Malcolm wrote:You know . . . until we hear otherwise (if ever ), Knicks still run the Triangle.

Wroten has ZERO experience in the Triangle.

I'd prefer Vujacic handling the point guard role.

Lopez (C)
Porzingis (PF)
Anthony (SF)
Vujacic (PG) defending the opposing SG
Fredette (SG) defending the opposing PG

Come on (!) Let's get the Triangle running right for a couple of years . . .

dear god. that's the worst backcourt I've ever seen. I'm fine with Sasha in small doses off the bench.

The triangle isn't some mystical system no one can run. Harper came to the Bulls from the free-wheelin' Clippers and ran it fine, having never played it before. Fisher came to the Lakers and ran it fine, having never played it before, straight out of Arkansas, I believe.

You think Wroten hasn't been watching film and getting pointers in at the practice facility?

Also, there are reports that Hornacek is going to be allowed to update the Triangle. And maybe he's a better teacher of it than Fisher or Rambis were. He's certainly had more success as a head coach.

By Phil Jackson and Tex Winter
Seven Principles of the Sound Offense

An effective offense, to my way of thinking, features the following dimensions.
1. Penetration. Players must penetrate the defense, and the best way to do this is the fast break, because basketball is a full-court game, from baseline to baseline.
2. Spacing. I am a fanatic about how players distribute themselves on the offensive end of the court. They must space themselves in a way that makes it most difficult to defend, trap, and help. Players must align a certain number of feet apart. In high school, I’d recommend 12 to 15 feet spacing, in college, 15 to 18 feet, and in the NBA, 15 to 20 feet. Proper spacing not only exposes individual defensive players’ vulnerabilities, but also ensures that every time the defense tries to trap, an offensive player will be open.
3. Ball and player movements. Players must move, and must move the ball, with a purpose. Effective off-the-ball activity is much more important than most fans and players think because they’re so used to watching only the movement of the ball and the player in possession of it. But there is only one ball and there are five players, meaning most players will have the ball in their hands 20 percent or less of the time the team is in possession of the ball.
4. Options for the ball handler. The more options a smart player has to attack a defender, the more successful that offensive player will be. When teammates are all moving to positions to free themselves (or another teammate with a pick), the ball handler’s choices are vastly increased.
5. Offensive rebounding and defensive balance. On all shots we take, players must go strong for the rebound while retaining court balance and awareness to prevent the opponent’s fast break.
6. Versatile positioning. The offense must offer to any player the chance to fill any spot on the court, independent of the player’s role. All positions should be interchangeable.
7. Use individual talents. It only makes sense for an offense to allow a team to take advantage of the skill sets of its best players. This doesn’t preclude the focus on team play that is emphasized in the six other principles, but it does acknowledge that some individuals have certain types and degrees of talent, and an offense should accentuate those assets. Michael Jordan taught me this.

Finally, I want the offense to flow from rebound to fast break, to quick offense, to a system of offense. The defenses in the NBA are so good because the players are so big, quick, and well coached. Add the pressure that the 24-second clock rule applies to the offense to find a good shot, and the defense gets even better.

The triangle offense has proven most effective, even against such obstacles, when players commit to and execute the system. The offense hinges on players attending to minute details in executing not just plays but also the fundamentals underlying the plays. Once players have mastered the individual techniques required of their roles, we then integrate those individuals into a team. Once this is done, the foundation for a good offense is solidly in place. The team can then go on the court with the confidence and poise so essential to success.
This method of play is as old as basketball. The triangle set is adjustable to the personnel, but such adaptations can be made without altering the essence of the offense. The only necessary adjustment from one season to the next involves tailoring the series of options based on each individual’s talents.

joec32033 wrote:Why has no one mentioned the most obvious (at least to me) comparison for Wroten, who is Eric Bledsoe?

And for symmetry didn't Bledsoe have some amazing numbers 20-6-6 or so playing for Hornacek?

That's an interesting comp... thought Bledsoe is a better outside shooter than Wroten, he shot almost 40% from 3 one year and 37.5% from three this past year. And Bledsoe is 6'1" whereas Wroten is 6'6". But they crash the paint very similarly.