The Knicks has missed the last two National Basketball Association playoffs although Anthony has helped the team in two postseason appearances in his first two full seasons in New York.
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If Anthony can stay healthy and return to form, New York should be improved thanks to the draft picks and the additions of quality free agents like Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo and Kyle O’Quinn, among others. But the 7-foot-3 Latvian rookie also mishandled a couple of passes that went out of bounds and grabbed just a couple of rebounds. Sure Bauru shot more three-pointers than the Knicks might have to defend in a week, attempting 43 from deep, but the Knicks didn’t defend it that well.
According to the New York Post, Anthony said he is not looking for any sort of exit strategy this season, even if the Knicks do not perform well as a team again this season.
“I wasn’t a guy who would run straight to surgery for anything”, he said. At least until Porzingis suits up for his first official game.
Jackson and Knicks coach Derek Fisher had done a good job of keeping expectations in line, praising Porzingis’ work ethic and modest progress.
Anthony went on to say that he’s not even close to thinking about that kind of scenario at this point and that all of the rumors have been “overwhelming at times”.
Porzingis hasn’t shot in the Garden or visited the Knicks’ locker room yet.
Anthony buried 5 of 6 shots for 11 points in the first quarter and sat the second period. But he should be able to stretch the floor with his shooting. Should that end up happening, Anthony insists it won’t be per his request. Not surprisingly, the guys who played the most minutes tonight were Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant. Overall, Poringis was 1 of 3 for four points in the half.
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Anthony hadn’t played since the All-Star Game on this court in February. “If you can make it here you can make it anywhere”. They made 11 on the night, so the defensive percentage looks good; but there was a lot more open looks than you would like to see. If you suck they’ll let you know. “Hopefully I can play better next time”. “If you prove you can play they’ll respect you”. Then I noticed he had 4 assists and 14 points. Melo revealed that he has remained and will remain patient with the Knicks.
