Kristaps Porzingis made a splash when he returned to the Boston Celtics’ lineup on Monday night. Large wave benders tend to do that.
The applause you heard came from the top of the Rockies.
No, not for the Nuggets, who look like a potential NBA Finals opponent for the defending champions.
But from the visiting Knicks, who know Porzingis much better than the Celtics.
The enigmatic 29-year-old carries a lot of luggage with him wherever he goes. He needs it to carry all his loot.
Rest assured: your suitcase has wheels. His back can’t handle the weight of $177 million in career earnings, let alone the expectations of a desperate NBA franchise. Or two. Or three. Or now there are four.
Make no mistake. That’s exactly what the Knicks did when they selected the generally unknown Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft. And they still are today. No thanks to the Latvian lightweight who sat next to Spike Lee as often as he lined up next to Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose during 3 1/2 terrible seasons.
Porzingis’ problem wasn’t his attitude. It was his body.
Beanpoles tend to break in the NBA. Just ask Ralph Sampson. Has anyone seen Chet Holmgren recently?
Fortunately for the Knicks, a desperate wind blew in Central Texas, and they were able to pick up two first-round picks from the Mavericks as Porzingis’ parting gift.
Unfortunately, the proverbial door appears to have hit Porzingis in the back on his way to the exit. Because he’s still limping today.
It didn’t take long for Mark Cuban to learn a little about NBA economics. What doesn’t sell in New York often doesn’t sell in Dallas. In particular, it is 5 times more expensive.
Three years later, the Mavs received a gym bag full of used scorecards as the Wizards looked to get the now-traveler off their hands. You will only suffer the same fate.
Three strikes… Porzingis appears to have hit a home run. Last June, the big pooch made his move once again and now wears an NBA crown atop his head.
It seems like it would be heavy.
Porzingis, who missed many of Boston’s most important games last season, has seen the first 17 games of the year. Celtics fans also stopped counting.
The Tin Man can’t stand up straight.
What’s interesting is that the Knicks wish their old friend well. Their spot in the NBA Finals might depend on it.
Like the other 28 teams in the NBA, Knicks executives have identified the Celtics as the team that will advance to the 2025 championship. Unlike the other 28 teams, the Knicks did something about it.
Actually they have done a lot about it.
With Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, they now have the shackles to lock down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That doesn’t mean Tatum, one of the worst shooters in postseason history, and Brown, who has the most missed 3-pointers, will stop jacking.
And with Karl-Anthony Towns, they have more than the complementary pieces needed to take some of the offensive weight off Jalen Brunson. They have the perfect matchup for Porzingis.
The best way to attack the Boston defense is with big men spacing the floor. Enter Towns, who went 2-for-3 in Denver on Monday, doing enough to keep Nikola Jokic away from the basket, gave the normally aggressively challenging Anunoby space to sneak in and score 40 points.
That’s what they need to do against the Celtics, who can secure three positions at their best. But Tatum doesn’t like guarding anyone, and without Porzingis to protect the basket, Boston’s vaunted defense suddenly becomes vulnerable.
Anunoby is already licking his ribs.
And on the other side of the court, Porzingis doesn’t have that kind of perimeter ability. So while Towns is locked in the key, blocking Tatum’s lethal venture into the belly of the defense, the Knicks can let Boston’s vaunted 36% 3-point shooting big man fire.
That is, if he’s still at 36%. His Trumpet debut on Monday saw him go 1-for-6 from deep, something the Knicks have become quite accustomed to when the tallest man on the court has always shot 33% from deep as their leading rookie.
Hey, it could have been worse. A Giannis Antetokounmpo impersonation saw him fall to a completely embarrassing 28% and he was sacked by the Cuban.
In a merciful twist of fate, the Knicks are praying Porzingis is still celebrating a healthy honeymoon in May.
Ten years from now, he might lead his team to a championship.
