While some believe that the New York Knicks will ultimately buy out big man DeAndre Jordan after acquiring him in a blockbuster deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, Knicks head coach David Fizdale is indicating Jordan will be in New York for the remainder of the season:
David Fizdale said he talked to Enes Kanter about DeAndre Jordan, a veteran, playing ahead of him. Jordan is starting on Sunday against Memphis. Fizdale’s thoughts on the subject here: pic.twitter.com/7dFgCWvt0R
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 3, 2019
Fizdale feels that Jordan can be a positive influence on the Knicks' young bigs like Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet, mainly on the defensive end, where Jordan has excelled throughout his career.
While New York doesn't really want to win any games for the remainder of the year and Jordan actively hurts that, you can see why Fizdale would like having him around, particularly in the case of Robinson.
Sure, getting the best possible draft positioning is important, but the Knicks also have some young guys that they would like to develop along the way, and with Robinson having the potential to become an impact interior defender, it only makes sense to have a mentor like Jordan.
The 30-year-old is on a one-year deal, so he almost surely won't be back in New York next season, but Jordan has a couple of months to play for a new contract.
The big man played in 29 minutes during his debut with the Knicks on Sunday afternoon, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 12-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jordan played the first 10 years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, making one All-Star team before signing with the Mavericks this past summer.
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