KP return to NY Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis is back in New York, arriving from Latvia on Sunday sources told, and Knicks management a clearer picture on when he might make his season debut.
Porzingis left for Europe in mid-April to continue his rehab from knee surgery, and president Steve Mills had said the franchise would know more about his timetable in September at the seventh-month mark.
During a “town hall” forum with select Knicks season-ticket holders Monday night, Mills was asked by a fan whether it’s better if Porzingis sits out the season rather than return on Christmas Day which the fan claimed was the league’s prediction. The Knicks were put on the holiday national TV schedule against the Bucks the club against which he was injured.
“Our goal is to not to do anything that jeopardizes KP’s future as being one of the foundational pieces of this team,” Mills said Monday before several hundred fans at the Garden’s Theater. “He’s back. We’ll have some medical evaluations this week and we’ll start to develop what the right plan is for him to come back. But we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize the future of the franchise. We’re going to stay true to that.’’
Mills may know more by Thursday when he holds a press conference in advance of the Knicks beginning training camp Monday. The season opener is Oct. 17 against Atlanta.
While new coach David Fizdale and members of the training staff visited Porzingis in Latvia, Mills did not, though he said he had several “phone conversations and texts.”
“KP is engaged we’re in a good place with him,” Mills said of his formerly disgruntled star.
Porzingis rehabilitation was much of the summer with Real Madrid instead of staying in New York to work at the Hospital of Special Surgery. He is not expected to get his rookie contract extended as the Knicks look to preserve cap space for 2019, when they can re-sign him and go over the cap per NBA rules.
Fizdale rehashed his trip to Latvia in late July, saying Porzingis had “an engaging personality.”
“I felt I knew him already,” Fizdale said. “I had my offense and defense ready to show him, but we didn’t watch one speck of film.”
Mills and general manager Scott Perry attempted to defuse speculation around attempting to land a star free agent in the summer of 2019, insisting the focus is on this roster. During one light moment, somebody yelled out “Kyrie” when a fan queried about next summer, drawing laughter at the reference to Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving.
When one individual asked about trading for a free-agent-to-be who may be on the block such as Jimmy Butler, Mills said: “We’re going to build this team the right way. We’re not going to trade assets that we can get on our own later. … We’re not taking shortcuts. We’re not going to trade our draft picks. We believe New York will buy into a plan.”
Mills said it’s too early to review which free agent would be the best fit because players such as Mario Hezonja and Enes Kanter will be vying to prove they deserve the free-agent money. The Knicks should be able to open up cap space for one max player but likely not for two.
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