KP building team to keep him on court
When it comes to staying healthy, every little bit of preparation helps in the eyes of Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis, 22, is trying something new. His longtime Spanish physiotherapist, Manolo Valdivieso, will live in New York this season, as The Post reported Friday.
Porzingis indicated Valdivieso will travel to road games, too — on Porzingis’ dime. He has worked with Porzingis since his Spanish league games in Seville. Valdivieso also worked with him all offseason in Europe as the 7-foot-3 Latvian made a point to stay away from New York.
After missing 26 games over his first two seasons, Porzingis will make this adjustment in an effort to improve his durability.
“He’s been with me [for a while], we’ll keep working together, keep helping me out,” Porzingis said following Sunday’s open practice at the Garden. “He’ll be wherever I am. He knows me the best, knows my body the best. He worked with me when I was 17, 18 years old.”
Porzingis was disgruntled with a lot of things when he blew off his exit meeting last April — from Phil Jackson’s eccentric leadership style to Jeff Hornacek’s haranguing. Whether he was dissatisfied with the training staff is unclear.
Staying on the court means a lot to him. Porzingis has stated on numerous occasions his goal of play- ing all 82 games in a season. Last season, he missed 16, dealing for the first time with Achilles tendinitis.
Hence, when Porzingis missed a training-camp practice on Day 3 with a sore right knee, alarm bells sounded.
“I just [want to] get a little bit better, miss a few less games, play a few more games,” Porzingis said. “It’s worth [having Valdivieso around]. It’s a team I’m building [around] myself.”
The pressure this season will be super heavy on Por- zingis now that Carmelo Anthony finally is gone. During a speech to the crowd, new general manager Scott Perry dismissed the notion this is Porzingis’ team, saying he is just one guy and needs a boost from all his teammates.
“Right now I don’t feel the difference,” Porzingis said. “When it’s going great, he’s the guy. When it’s going bad, they want to kill you. It’s going to be some tough moments. I got to be strong mentally in New York, and I’ll be fine.”