New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis should be untouchable
The New York Knicks entertained trade offers for Kristaps Porzingis, but with Phil Jackson out, the Latvian phenom should be untouchable.
The New York Knicks have been at the heart of incessant trade rumors during the summer of 2017. Between the Carmelo Anthony trade negotiations and the talk of potentially acquiring Kyrie Irving, New York is in a position to improve its future.
As the Knicks weigh their options on the trade front, one determination should be made: Kristaps Porzingis is untouchable.
The working theory is that the Knicks don’t have enough trade assets to acquiring Irving without giving up Porzingis. That’s a fair theory, and Irving has the track record of the player that New York is hoping Porzingis can become.
No matter how appealing that may be on the surface, there would be no justification whatsoever for a trade that would ship Porzingis out of New York.
Porzingis may be polarizing in some eyes, but he’s the best chance New York has at ending its title drought. That may not happen in the immediate future, and it may not happen at all, but the Knicks owe this to their fans.
Going on 45 years without an NBA championship, the Knicks need to do what they’ve failed to do since unceremoniously trading Patrick Ewing: Remain loyal to the franchise player.
In 2015-16, Porzingis showed consistent flashes of becoming the player New York has been searching for since 2001. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 75 3-point field goals as a rookie.
In 2016-17, he became the first player in franchise history to convert at least 100 blocks and 100 3-point field goals made in a single season.
Beyond the numbers, Porzingis has revitalized Madison Square Garden. Every game brings a new reason to be excited about his potential, and every month seems to provide Porzingis with a platform to showcase his ever-evolving game.
To give up on Porzingis, who has proven to have a remarkable work ethic, after just two seasons would rank amongst the most ill-advised decisions in franchise history.
It’s possible that Porzingis will fail to realize his potential as a cross between Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki. It’s also possible that his injuries over the past two seasons will persist, thus limiting his availability and justifying a lingering fear.
It’s even possible that Porzingis’ ceiling is lower than we’re giving him credit for, and that he’d be better off in a Pau Gasol or Chris Bosh type of championship role.
What’s undeniable, however, is that Porzingis is the type of player who can help New York create a sustainably successful future. He has all of the makings of a dominant rim protector, is already scoring a well-rounded 18.1 points per game, and is widely regarded as a coachable player.
Perhaps most importantly: He’s one of the few high-profile players who have made it publicly known that he wants to be here.
Too often have the Knicks abandoned something promising for something that should work. One could argue the semantics of what promising really means, but the point here is that developing a core over time generally triumphs over short-term fixes.
In other words: New York needs to think more like Golden State and San Antonio than Cleveland Miami.
With Porzingis on the roster, the Knicks have already taken a step toward being relevant for the next decade. He’ll turn 22 years of age on August 2, 2017, and is already regarded as one of the brightest young stars in the Association.
To abandon that now would be comparable to the unnecessary trade for pending free agent Carmelo Anthony, the abandonment of Patrick Ewing, and the premature decisions to quit on Rod Strickland in 1990, and Mark Jackson in 1992.
The New York Knicks need to balance the act of doing their due diligence by answering the phone when teams inquire about Porzingis with learning from past mistakes.
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Making Kristaps Porzingis untouchable in the Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony trade discussions would be a step in the right direction.