Knicks Sign Canyon Barry Because He Spent a Few Hours Studying the Triangle Offense

Canyon Barry was the 6th man of the year in the SEC last season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists for the Florida Gators. While at Florida he was also working on his masters in nuclear engineering. Now he’s been signed by the New York Knicks. How did this particularly smart, hardworking prospect get an NBA contract offer? Pandering, obviously. Via the New York Times:

"In the days leading up to his workout with the Knicks last month, Canyon Barry put together a quick cram session. He watched a few Knicks games from last season and studied their triangle offense, hoping to analyze the cuts and movements he would make in it. To test himself, he then explained its intricacies to his agent."

This is the equivalent of reading the Twilight books because you heard a girl likes the Twilight books and you want her to think you have something in common so she’ll go on a date with you. No matter how beneath you it is to read those books. If you don’t talk about Breaking Dawn, she might fall asleep on the date.

"“I think nuclear engineering is a little tougher than the triangle,” he said, when asked to compare the two. “It requires a little bit more studying than the triangle offense. I feel like if I can get all straight A’s in nuclear engineering while studying radiation detection and neutron multiplication, I should be able to run the triangle offense.”"

That’s pretty much the same thing Carmelo Anthony first said about the triangle.

Maybe Canyon Barry is going to make a serviceable NBA player and maybe the Knicks cut him this summer or send him tot he D-League. It still looks Phil Jackson is signing players based on the fact that they understand an obsolete offense that the team doesn’t even really run that much. The Knicks are brilliant.