Over the last couple of seasons, one of the NBA's most storied franchises in the New York Knicks which plays in the greatest basketball arenas has essentially been the laughing stock of the league headed by President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson and owner James Dolan. From the team's lack of effort on the court and management's unwillingness to be straightforward with star forward Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are in a bad place right now.
The last few days before the NBA Draft saw young forward Kristaps Porzingis reportedly on the trade block for reasons that many would say are silly. The Knicks closed out their 2016-17 season in turmoil, going 5-13 in their final 18 games while inserting Carmelo Anthony in and out of the lineup, finishing with a record of 31-51. In his exit interview, Phil Jackson told reporters that it's probably better if Anthony finishes his career somewhere outside of New York; this after Jackson signed Anthony to a five-year, $124 million deal equipped with a valuable no-trade clause. Porzingis, vocal of his support for Anthony and the mentor he's been for the young Latvian forward, ended up not appearing in his exit interview with the Knicks due to his frustration with the organization. Thus, why Jackson put him on the trade block to see what they could get for him in a trade.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks are worried this whole act by Porzingis is ‘ruining their image ‘ when it comes to acquiring other players in free agency.
The worry is this: Porzingis blowing off his exit meeting, then publicizing it to the media 2 ½ months before free agency as a protest to the Knicks’ chaos, could lead to future acts of rebellion that would hurt the franchise’s image to other players.
Judging from the amount of interest Porzingis attracted before Thursday’s NBA draft — The Vertical reported the other 29 teams all inquired about him — it may be better to explore trade options sooner rather than later if Jackson senses Porzingis is disgruntled with the rebuilding plan and movement toward the triangle offense.
Judging by how everyone around the league, including fans and media, view the Knicks, the team's image is currently in a bad place and it has nothing to do with Porzingis not showing up to his exit interview. They've put themselves in a major hole by treating their own stars and players with a level of disrespect that isn't going to just blow over.
According to Janis Porzingis, Kristaps' brother, the forward wants to remain a member of the Knicks and does not want to be traded.
“Despite how the Knicks are treating their players, Kris wants to stay in New York,” Janis Porzingis said. “He loves the city and he loves the fans and he wants to win with this team. If he’s going to be traded, he’s going to play out his contract and decide his future on his own.”
Despite what Phil Jackson thinks, the Knicks have to keep Porzingis and make him happy in the next couple of season before he becomes a restricted free agent The franchise struck gold in nabbing the second best player (behind Karl-Anthony Towns) in the 2015 NBA Draft in the number four spot, and they appeared ready to give up on him for a mistake in judgement by the 21-year old. Hopefully New York can rid themselves of the negative image they currently have to attract some free agents and become relevant once again.
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