Can Porzingis save the Knicks?
Are the New York Knicks — that dysfunctional, rarely in the playoffs, perennial off-court and oncourt disaster outfit — finally on the right track?
Quite possibly. Mainly because Phil Jackson was run out of town instead of Kristaps Porzingis.
Hockey fans might recall former NHL all-star Sandis Ozolinsh or his longtime teammate Arturs Irbe, the diminutive long-time standout goaltender, but Porzingis already is the biggest thing from Latvia — both literally and figuratively.
Porzingis does things that 7-foot3 people simply should not be able to. Heck, most people a foot shorter can’t block shots and score buckets the way the 22-year-old already can.
Only fellow “unicorn” Giannis Antetkounmpo was averaging more than the 30.2 points Porzingis was putting up heading into Tuesday’s games and he ranked third in blocked shots and was hauling in 7.8 rebounds per game for good measure.
Tyson Chandler told reporters last week that he believes Porzingis could become the NBA’s best player. Porzingis said that’s what he is shooting for. Even if he never gets there, the Knicks finally have a foundational piece.
Comparisons between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Knicks have abounded for years: Both franchises make obscene sums of money; charge whatever they want for tickets; Sell out every game even if the team stinks and never win the big one.
But, the Leafs have Auston Matthews, the Knicks Porzingis and suddenly, both towns have hope.
On Sunday, Porzingis became the first player ever to score 40 points, block six shots and hit two three-pointers in a game, moving the Knicks above .500 nine games into a season for the first time since 2012-13.
He also has the record for most points by a Knick through nine games.
He will shatter many more marks New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis, centre, shoots next to Indiana Pacers’ players during the second half of a NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden, in New York.
along the way and maybe, just maybe, return the Knicks to relevance.
BLEDSOE TO BUCKS
The bizarre Eric Bledsoe/Phoenix Suns stalemate was resolved on Tuesday morning when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported that the point guard would be heading to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for centre Greg Monroe and a protected first-round pick.
This was a savvy move for a Bucks franchise that believes it is on the cusp of returning to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2001 (the year the Raptors should have been the opponent, had Vince Carter’s jumper not clanked off of iron).
When healthy, Bledsoe is another freakishly long, uber-athletic open court devastator to add to the NBA leaders in that sort of prototype. Nobody will enjoy facing Milwaukee’s enveloping defence. At the other end, with MVP front-runner Antetokounmpo and reigning rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdon also able to direct the offence, Bledsoe will need to find a comfort zone, and he’s another
below average shooter, but, given the low price and Bledsoe’s ability to man either guard spot, like Brogdon, it was a no-brainer roster upgrade.
Phoenix waited too long/ couldn’t find the right deal earlier. The result was selling low on a talented player.
Monroe got one first-place vote for sixth man of the year last season and finished sixth in the balloting overall. With the Suns looking to unload Chandler and with Alan Williams lost for much or all of the season, he could be a frontcourt factor there. But the team was likely most interested in getting the $15 million owed to Bledsoe in 2018-19 off of the books. Get rid of Chandler and/or Dudley and suddenly the rebuilding franchise could be in the mix to add a good player via what is expected to be a free agent market depressed by all of the money spent by teams a couple of summers ago. Plus the Suns get rid of a distraction and a player they had been trying to move for ages who did not want to be in Arizona (which he infamously said via Twitter a couple of weeks ago, even though he pretended he was talking about something else).