DOES SOFT SELL41
Responds to rips with more physical effort
Kristaps Porzingis’ road trip started with a concession moved to exhaustion and ended with Wesley Matthews calling him “soft” and “sweet.” In a different environment (like on a date, for instance), ‘sweet’ could be considered a compliment. Not on a basketball court. In other words, Porzingis is still fighting the perception that he’s been talking about crushing since he was a rookie. “That I’m a soft, skinny, white Euro,” Porzingis has repeated many times. But give Porzingis credit for what he did Sunday night. Matthews was pushing him around, hip tossing him, cursing at him, fighting him for position in the post. Porzingis kept going. At one point in the fourth, he tried to back into position against Matthews in the paint, fell down, and got the foul call. That’s what prompted Matthews to throw a mini-fit and question Porzingis’ fortitude, which has become a trending topic following multiple missed games this season and an acknowledgement from the Latvian that he was tired.
“It was physical and (Matthews) said some words. I said something back. We had a nice conversation,” Porzingis said. “I usually don’t react to those things. I usually don’t hear it. I just keep playing. This time it got a little too physical.”
Porzingis didn’t shoot well when Matthews ratcheted up the intensity in the fourth quarter, missing all five of his field goal attempts. But he got to the line and hit six foul shots down the stretch. The Knicks also won, 10096, in Dallas, with Porzingis dropping a gamehigh 29 points.
The blueprint to defend him was set by Boston coach Brad Stevens and he’s going to have to figure it out, by any means necessary. Opponents are going to send out much smaller defenders (Matthews is only 6-5)
to physically attack Porzingis’ base. He’s not strong enough to back them down far enough for an easy shot, so different tactics are in order.
Jeff Hornacek suggested setting better screens to create more space.
“(The Mavericks) decided, ‘Let’s go, get in his legs and see what happens,’” Hornacek said. “That’s a thing where if KP just sets a good screen and guys come off, then maybe he can roll to an open spot.”
A Porzingis screen is what helped the Knicks beat the Mavericks on Sunday, when he freed up Jarrett Jack for the go-ahead bucket by setting a pick. Matthews was defending so tight on Porzingis that he couldn’t switch, allowing Jack to drive uncontested into the lane.
And by the end of the night, he had Matthews’ respect. From “soft” and “sweet” to “a great player,” Matthews said after the defeat. “I actually like watching him play. He’s tremendously talented, the future of our league.” Burke.
The G-League star is in “serious talks” with the team to strike a new deal, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.
The News reported last week that the Knicks had already held internal discussions about calling up Burke with their offense struggling, although the team would still need to open up a roster spot for the 25-year-old point guard.
Still, to sign Burke, the Knicks need to clear a roster spot since they have 15 players on guaranteed contracts. That phase still has to be determined, according to a source.
The Knicks preference is to create a spot via trade. But if they have to waive a player, it will likely be Ramon Sessions. The point guard is out of the rotation and on a one-year, $2.33 million.
The G League showcase, which begins Wednesday, would give other teams a chance to scoop up Burke, who is averaging 26.6 points and shooting nearly 50 percent. Yahoo Sports reports that the Knicks are likely to hold Burke out of the showcase.