The New York Knicks were bad during Kristaps Porzingis' short tenure with the club, and they are still bad without him.
The Knicks have gotten off to a 2-9 start this season, but one of their wins actually came at the expense of Porzingis' Dallas Mavericks last week. On Thursday night, New York will host Mavericks in another matchup, and Porzingis will make his return to Madison Square Garden in the process.
Porzingis didn't have much to say about the Knicks' struggles, only stating that he understands the plight of New York fans:
“This is a city hungry for success in basketball,” said the big man, via Malika Andrews of ESPN. “For them, for the fans, for the city, going through this year after year has got to be tough.”
The Knicks originally selected Porzingis with the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, and while the Latvian was booed upon being chosen, New York fans quickly reversed its feelings on the center when they saw him play.
Porzingis had a terrific rookie campaign with the Knicks, flashing incredible ability and versatility on both ends of the floor and possessing the type of athleticism that 7-foot-3 bigs are not supposed to have.
However, things quickly soured between Porzingis and New York's front office, and midway through the 2017-18 campaign, Porzingis tore his ACL, effectively ending his tenure with the Knicks.
The 24-year-old asked for a trade last January, and New York sent him to Dallas.
Porzingis poured in 28 points and nine rebounds in his first meeting with the Knicks this season, but it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles what figures to be an angry New York crowd on Thursday evening.
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