KP knows dangers of family business
Blood is thicker than water
And a lot trickier to navigate at times.
Earlier this season Kristaps Porzingis found himself in the middle of a firestorm caused by his brother, Janis, who in a European interview claimed if the Knicks did not make the star happy, he could bolt.
“You cannot upset him much.or otherwise, at the end of the season, he will say, ‘It’s not so cool here,’ ” Janis was quoted in early November.
And, yeah, the Knicks’ Porzingis spent some time putting out fires as a result. You can choose your friends, but not the place to hide when a family member yaps off.
So Porzingis can somewhat relate to what Lonzo Ball is going through, courtesy of his father LaVar. America’s most notorious shock-jock sports dad who has repeatedly put a bull’seye on his son’s back. Ball and the Lakers (10-15) invade the Garden on Tuesday riding a two-game winning streak — with victories at Philadelphia and Charlotte — following five straight losses.
“I think my situation was different,” said Porzingis, whose brother is a representative of the agency that handles him. “It was just the wrong timing for what my brother said. But I stand behind what he says.
“And yeah, for him [Ball], it’s maybe a little different. He has all this attention and I don’t know if he wants it that much. But it’s hard to be in his skin. It’s hard to imagine being in his skin. He has great talent and I think as he gets more comfortable in the league, he will be just fine.”
While he’s not stomping out fires.