KP knew Knicks were bad

At one point, the Knicks were four games over .500 and then went on to lose 10 of 13 games. After falling to 17-20 overall, Porzingis said this on Jan. 8: “In the moment where we were four games above .500, I said I don’t see ourselves as that good of a team yet. We were still growing. We were winning games. But we still have a lot to learn as a team, a lot to grow.

“It was just a good moment that we were up. We were winning games based off of our talent. But we just weren’t there yet, and now it’s kind of showing that we’re not there yet.”

Porzingis, who is expected to play Monday after missing the Nets game with a thigh injury, was brutally honest in his assessment of the Knicks. He said the two losses to the Nets “shows where we are right now” and he admitted that at the start of the season, while everyone was optimistic about the team’s potential, he sensed trouble.

When asked to identify the root of the problem, Porzingis added: “Just more work. Attention to details. Keep growing as a team. Obviously, a good team needs some time to play together; this was our first year for most of guys playing together so it never happens like that; you trade a couple of players and there you go you're a championship contender.

“It’s understandable that we weren’t going to win the championship but I could tell that we weren’t there yet where we wanted to be.”

The danger for the Knicks is that Porzingis, the future of the team, is growing disenfranchised with the direction of the club. Knicks president Phil Jackson acquired Joakim Noah and Rose for the purpose of reaching the playoffs, not for being a lottery team. Throughout the season, all the key players have expressed frustration with their inability to work with the triangle offense and find any type of consistency defensively.

Porzingis hasn’t developed as rapidly as Minnesota’s Karl Anthony-Towns. Jeff Hornacek has seemed to keep him on a tighter leash over the last 40 games.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are headed for another long offseason. Carmelo Anthony will likely miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year and Porzingis is no closer to making his playoff debut than he was a year ago.

“Of course it’s tough for (Anthony),” Porzingis said. “Nobody wants to lose, especially in New York. It’s extremely tough. That’s how it is. Melo. . . he does what he can for the team, for the city. So obviously, he’s not happy either. Nobody is happy with these results.”