Porzingis returns as Knicks show signs of chaos he escaped
NEW YORK » When Kristaps Porzingis crashed to the Madison Square Garden floor in pain on Feb. 6, 2018, it was soon clear that would be his final play of the season.
Much harder to imagine was that it would be the final play of his Knicks career.
Porzingis returns to the arena on Thursday for a nationally televised game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Knicks, who are already showing signs of the type of chaos that helped sour the star forward on the team in the first place.
Though Porzingis enjoyed the city and the fans, the dark cloud under which the Knicks permanently reside was something he’s been glad to escape.
“I remember when I was there the expectations were always high for us, and it’s a city hungry for success in basketball,” Porzingis said Wednesday. “And for them, for the fans and for the city to be going through this year after year, it’s got to be tough. And so it’s always a lot of pressure and when things are not going right immediately, there needs to be changes, and this year is no different for them again.”
The Knicks are losing big, losing often and it took all of 10 games for speculation about a coaching change to begin. Just two days after beating Porzingis and the Mavericks in Dallas, the Knicks were blown out at home by Cleveland on Sunday. Afterward, Knicks President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry held a news conference to express their disappointment, unusual for any NBA team after a game in which there was no injury or trade news.
That seemed to add more pressure on second-year coach David Fizdale, whose team is 2-9 after having the NBA’s worst record last season.
Porzingis was once viewed as the player who would lead the Knicks through the turbulence. The 7-foot-3 forward was in the midst of his first All-Star season when he tore his left ACL.
Porzingis was surprisingly traded on Jan. 31 after Knicks management said he told them during a meeting that day that he wanted out. He was sent to the Mavericks in a deal that for now looks worse all the time for New York.
“It’s in the past now and I don’t want to bring it back up,” Porzingis said. “It is what it is. It happened and now I’m in a new place and looking forward to what’s ahead of me.” GRIZZLIES 119, HORNETS 117 » Rookie Ja Morant scored on a driving left-handed layup with 0.7 seconds left to give Memphis a victory over Charlotte.
In his first NBA game in the Carolinas, Morant had his first double-double with 23 points and 11 assists to help the Grizzlies win consecutive games for the first time this season. The South Carolina native was 10 of 15 from the field and excelled all night at getting to the rim and finding the open man.
Gordon out 6 weeks
HOUSTON » Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to miss about six weeks.
Gordon was injured Monday night against New Orleans, and general manager Daryl Morey announced that he had surgery Wednesday.