He was even skipped by the Lakers during draft, according to Coach Byron Scott, “it was going to take him a few time [to develop]”.
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But the Knicks and their fans are ecstatic that Phil Jackson went European.
Jackson knew better than to place too much emphasis on the team’s draft pick.
“When you feel capable of doing everything – you can shoot, you can dribble, you can run, you can dunk – sometimes it’s easy to fall into the temptation of saying, ‘OK, I can just do it somehow, ‘” Galilea said in a recent interview.
“The surprise is he’s doing it right away”, Calderon said of Porzingis.
SAN ANTONIO – Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points, Tony Parker had 18 and the San Antonio Spurs snapped the Memphis Grizzlies’ four-game winning streak with a 92-82 victory Saturday night.
Ariza attempted a game-tying 3 with 20 seconds remaining, but it rimmed out and the Knicks rebounded.
Nowitzki, who is seventh all-time in career National Basketball Association points, had a similar path at Porzingis.
How wrong they were. The team has the Thunder next and then the team will play against the Rockets, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic on the road. Porzingis jerseys were selling so briskly earlier this week that they temporarily sold out. He posted more turnovers than assists and was glued to the bench fr the close of the game.
Granted, all of this sounds a lot like the short-lived “Linsanity” in February 2012, when point guard Jeremy Lin burst onto the scene and set off the same level of overnight hero worship.
Porzingis practically genuflected at the altar of Anthony, and it was the wisest move he could have made.
Numerous question marks about Kristaps Porzingis heading into his rookie season have been answered emphatically and with exclamation points.
But the 7-foot-3 rookie found ways to score, mostly with his jump shot, helping the Knicks have just enough in the matchup of teams who were both playing for the second straight night. His I.Q. and ridiculous length have made him one of the Knicks’ best defenders, he’s a huge threat on the screen-and-roll and is gobbling up offensive rebounds like insane. He isn’t afraid to mix it up, either, or dive on the floor for a loose ball. The Latvian was a near unknown entity; someone who numerous onlookers touted as either a probable flop or a future superstar.
Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) controls the ball against NY Knicks point guard Jose Calderon (3) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. After seeing the big fella in action this season, the chatter has shifted to a different global big man, Pau Gasol, who thrived in the triangle offense.
Numerous players the Knicks brought in have a defensive mindset and they’re team-oriented, character guys.
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The frustration of Knicks fans was understandable – called for, even. Coming off of losing a franchise-record 65 games last season, getting screwed in the lottery and winding up with the fourth pick in what was perceived to be a three-player draft (can’t-miss talents Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor were all drafted ahead of Porzingis) felt like an even bigger loss. Most from what I see on the film is guys not paying attention to him. In the next game, he duly went out and snagged 10. “To me, that’s a sign of a really good basketball player, when you can be effective and impactful in the game without trying to make it happen”. Maybe the most impressive thing not just about Porzingis but about the improved Knicks is Anthony.
