Assembling The 2016-2017 Knicks Dream Team
By Jemayel Mall
CENTERS
Kristaps Porzingis
“With the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select Kristaps Porzingis from Liepāja, Latvia. He last played for Sevilla in Spain.”
Adam Silver’s words caused a riot-like reaction in the Barclays Center almost a year ago. Who could forget the sound of those resonating boos? What about the kid crying taking a selfie? Or the man chanting ‘we want Winslow’?
How about Stephen A. Smith cutting his vacation short to verbally assault Phil Jackson for picking a “project” on the air?
That would be enough for any 19-year-old kid to crumble. But Porzingis humbly stated after he was drafted that he was going to change all those boos into cheers. He wanted to be in New York, and embraced the atmosphere— boos and all.
And then something remarkable happened. Porzingis actually began turning those boos into cheers with putback dunks, double-doubles, his basketball IQ, his aggressiveness, and his love for the game. This Latvian kid embodied the spirit of New York with an “against all odds” mentality.
Almost instantly New Yorkers, not just in the five boroughs, but across the state embraced Porzingis as one of their own. This kid is something special and is the Knicks’ most important draft pick since Patrick Ewing.
Porzingis finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Not bad for a draftee who was dubbed a “project.” Porzingis is the future of the Knicks franchise. Now that the Knicks hired Jeff Hornacek as head coach, expect Porzingis to play more center with Carmelo Anthony playing power forward.
Also expect Porzingis to feast in a more pick-and-roll, up-tempo system.
Robin Lopez
Last summer, the Knicks didn’t sign Marc Gasol or DeAndre Jordan. They even had Greg Monroe pick the Milwaukee Bucks over playing under the bright lights of the Garden. But the Knicks still found a gem of a consolation prize in Robin Lopez.
The best free agent signing for the Knicks in 2015, Lopez is the type of center who does all the “dirty work” that you want your center to do. He does the little things that may not necessarily fill up a stat sheet.
But if Porzingis is your starting center, why keep a $13 million per year sixth man?
Because Porzingis is still learning the game.
For all the things Porzingis did right last year, there is a lot he still has to learn. Last year was the first time he took part in an 82-game season. He didn’t even play in all 82 games.
Additionally, there were times he found himself in foul trouble. These are the reasons why Lopez should finish the remaining three years of his contract in a Knicks uniform.
Within the next three years, Porzingis will have elevated his game and, if he stays healthy, be a bonafide superstar in the league. But the Knicks need a solid backup big man and Lopez is more than sufficient.
Lopez can be the “big man” mentor Porzingis needs. Hopefully, he’ll teach Porzingis that Lopez baby hook shot.
Ante Zizic
How do the Knicks get a late first round pick? Daily Knicks’ Alper Basoglu gave a possibility in what is an actual win-win scenario for both the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers. With Jose Calderon’s $7.5 million off the books, the Knicks become extremely flexible.
Who should the Knicks draft with the 26th overall pick this year? Ante Zizic from Croatia. The 6’ 11” center has a wingspan of 7’ 3”. He is a relentless rebounder that isn’t afraid of contact. He gets to the charity line often (approximately 8 attempts per 36 minutes in the Adriatic League) and is a solid free throw shooter. Also, like Porzingis, Zizic starting playing professional basketball when he was young (16 years old).
He would be another reason to keep Lopez around and could become the eventual back up of the Knicks in the future. He’s exactly what you would expect for with a late first-round pick.
Next: Power Forwards