Fiz chat scores big with star

A chat with his new coach has Kristaps Porzingis pumped to the tune of eight exclamation points.

“Just had a great conversation on the phone with Coach Fiz. Man im excited!!!!! Lets gooo!!!” Porzingis tweeted Thursday afternoon in his first public comments about the hire.

David Fizdale has stated his priority is to connect with Porzingis and make him “feel something different.

“I want him to feel something that when he’s back here it’s going to be special for him,” the coach said earlier this month. “That he’s walking back into a culture and environment that’s set up for winning.

Apparently that mission is off to a good start. In addition to his phone call with the 22-year-old, Fizdale met with Porzingis’ brother and agent, Janis, in New York about a week ago, as the Daily News reported. Porzingis is still in Europe rehabbing from ACL surgery and Fizdale said he plans to fly out there “maybe multiple times over the summer.”

“That’s my biggest goal this summer, is to really bond with him and connect with him and get insight from him: His experiences, what he liked, what he didn’t like, what he’d like to see, what’s his goals,” Fizdale said. “Does he see himself as a guy who can be MVP one day? Defensive Player of the Year? I want to hear all that stuff and share with him my vision on how to get him there.”

Porzingis’ reaction was noteworthy because his relationship with the Knicks — and coaches Jeff Hornacek and Kurt Rambis — was sometimes tense. Porzingis tore his ACL in February and the Knicks have provided no timetable for his recovery. Owner James Dolan brought up the possibility of Porzingis missing the entire season, and GM Scott Perry said they’d know more by September. Porzingis is eligible for a five-year extension this offseason but the Knicks would save roughly $10 million in cap space by waiting to offer the contract in the summer of 2019.