The Knicks haven’t seen Kristaps Porzingis since he skipped an exit meeting in April, but the Latvian star was trying to smooth things over this afternoon at media day. Porzingis said he has no lingering bitterness toward the organization regarding the events of last spring or the offseason roster changes, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. “No I’m coming into this season with a fresh mind,” Porzingis said. “It’s a new season.”
Porzingis is also in a new role as team leader after the trade of Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City. Porzingis denied reports that he clashed last season with coach Jeff Hornacek, insisting he has a “great relationship” with the coach and saying he doesn’t “know where it’s coming from,” tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.
There’s more today from New York:
- Porzingis got bigger and stronger over the summer, which will come in handy as he tries to carry the team, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Anthony is gone, along with former team president Phil Jackson and his triangle offense, leaving the organization to rebuild around its 7’3″ center. “Moving forward in this league, he’s going to get a lot of opportunities to grow into that lead position,” Hornacek said of Porzingis. “We’re just excited to get back to coaching and moving forward with him and trying to develop him into that great player that we think he can become.”
- With his trade to the Thunder becoming official today, Anthony penned a farewell note to New York fans on his website. He thanked owner Jim Dolan and the Knicks organization, along with everyone who supported him during his six and a half years with the team. “New York equipped me to make it in any other place in the world,” he wrote. “It taught me how to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable. Saying Goodbye is the hardest thing to do. I never thought I would, especially to you. No one will ever take your place. It’s hard to find someone like you, so know you will always be missed. You helped me laugh. You dried my tears. Because of you, I have no fears. You came into my life and I was blessed. It’s time to raise my hand and say goodbye. It’s not the end, because like I’ve always said, NYC ‘til the end.”
- Despite his fond memories, Anthony’s time in New York was a disappointment, contends Neil Best of Newsday. Best gives Anthony credit for the classy way he handled the feud with Jackson, but says he never delivered the playoff success the team expected when it acquired him from Denver.
- Once Anthony expanded his list of possible destinations to three teams, the Knicks took the best deal they could find, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Although neither Enes Kanter or Doug McDermott may have a long future in New York, Isola says they are a better alternative than taking on Ryan Anderson‘s huge contract.
Yeah Carmelo seemed like a good guy on and off the court. Lousy ending but this was what needed to happen.
Agreed, I always liked Melo and detested the way the organization treated him, but he did need to go. I hope he wins one before the end of his career as the while playing a big role in it to finally silence his critics.
Thank You Melo !
From your time at Syracuse to your last day with the Knicks … a huge majority of us always rooted for you ….
Best of Luck !
I hope you get a ring !
Stay ‘classy” and always be a ‘good guy’ to your new fans …
As always – New York is here for you !
He carried that team for too long, and sacrificed too much to be treated the way he was. And he never complained. Happy for Melo to get this chance to make up for wasted time, thanks to the clowns that called themselves leaders.
Still… the Knicks got practically nothing of long term value in return for a top 20 player. Why does it seem like nobody is concerned with that decision, with respect to previous, more substantial trade scenarios?
Addition by subtraction. Melo’s lazy and belligerent tendencies, and his low efficiency ball stoppage offensive game, are both cancers to a young team. Hornacek can now try and build the team in his image, without worrying about whether Melo will give effort on defense or run his own play. Also, a win-win, as Melo will likely have a revival of sorts in OKC, which is an iso team that can somewhat cover for him defensively. Knicks return was fine under the circumstances. I think they did at least as well as Indiana did for George, a vastly superior player.