Since Thursday there have been two words that have sent fear and dismay into the hearts of all Knicks fans; Kristaps Porzingis. From the booing on draft night to the now infamous shot of the young fan crying, fans have been outraged by this pick. They passed up on players such as Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja, Willey Cauley-Stein and Frank Kaminsky to pick him. One season ticket holder I've spoken to has stressed his outrage at this pick and is currently rethinking his decision to keep his tickets for the upcoming season. And now reports of Carmelo Anthony feeling betrayed by the Knicks and debating about astking for a trade have come out, the franchise seems to be in disarray. Everyone should bail out now, they will never win, all hope is lost. The team is doomed I tell you, DOOMED!
Lets all calm down and look at the facts here, starting with the one thing everyone is seeming to forget. No draft choice is a bust or a superstar until they actually step on the floor, and even more so, just because they played in the united states doesn't mean that they are automatically going to work out. Greg Oden seemed like a worthwhile pick, so did Adam Morrison and every other bust there has ever been. Not all forigen players have been great but not all of them have been bad either. Dirk Nowitzki is a prime example, and actually is what Kristaps Porzingis is being compared to. He is a stretch four who actually has more of a defensive presence than dirk. The kid is only 19, is 7'1 and has a 7'6 wingspan, you can't teach that.
Lets look at fact number two, this is actually what Knicks fans have been asking for all along, and that to build through the draft. With respect to Carmelo Anthony, who is a phenomenal scorer and a great player, he is never going to win a championship by himself. He isn't that kind of player, he's not going to do what LeBron did in the finals. The best and most proven way there is of winning is to build through the draft (as I've actually stated before in the article “Rebuilding the Apple”) and build around a player like Melo. As far as him not being happy, I'll quote the ever popular NFL guru Adam Schefter when he tweeted “Here's what the Knicks owe Carmelo Anthony: $101,606,280 million more. Isn't that enough? They don't owe him anything more”. The best option the Knicks had is to start a slow rebuild, draft a few players at a time, develop them, which recently has not been their strongest suit, and develop a core and an identity. This was only the first step, and if what every scout and GM has been saying about Porzingis is true, than the Knicks might have a transcendent talent on their hands. There was no Jordan in this draft, no player who was going to come onto their team and make them instant contenders. Porzingis was the biggest risk, yet the biggest reward (for where they were drafting) and has a legitimate shot at being a superstar.
To Knicks fans though they don't want to wait, they want to compete every season. It's an admirable trait which really makes them one of a kind and a very loyal fan base. I hate to break it to you guys, but the team stinks. I don't mean the kind of stink that will just go away the next season. I mean the kind that you have to start from scratch and suffer until you're great again, and for that to ever happen you need the one thing that's so hard for all of you, patience. This is all a process, laying the foundation for what can one day be a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Every team goes through these kind of slumps, teams that have once been dominant. The Celtics and Lakers have, two teams which radiate championships. If you think Kristaps Porzingis is the reason why the Knicks will be terrible, you're dead wrong. It was from years of bad management, trading away young players for aging veterans and constantly trying to put a band – aid on a gunshot wound. Knicks fans are going to have to suffer for a bit, watch their team grow, but if Porzingis reaches his ceiling, hits the level scouts and and managers think he can, than there is nothing to worry about. New Yorkers just have to do the second hardest thing behind being patient, be optimistic. The Knicks have plenty of cap space and will get solid players to add to this team in free agency. It's all going to be okay.
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