Charles Wenzelberg
Phil Jackson is already cashing in on the offseason goodwill he earned among New York Knicks fans.
The Zen Master has spent a majority of the summer surprising New York’s fiercely loyal fanbase in a good way. He didn’t do anything stupid on draft night—like trading away the No. 4 pick for a slop heap of veterans who wouldn’t move the team’s needle that far. He instead drafted Kristaps Porzingis, the high-risk, high-reward lottery prospect who, depending on where you fall, is either the next Hall of Famer or draft bust. He flipped Tim Hardaway Jr. for rookie Jerian Grant as well, another good move.
Jackson also left his mark in free agency, signing a bunch of quality talents in Kyle O’Quinn, Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo. He didn’t land a big fish, but he did just enough to keep Carmelo Anthony interested without mortgaging the Knicks’ future on a crappy contract.
But these “Phil Files” that Charley Rosen is running over at ESPN.com aren’t doing him any favors. Jackson often comes off as a verbal loose cannon, saying things that really shouldn’t ever make it to digital print.
With that in mind, Part VIII of the series was released on Monday. This time Jackson is speaking after the draft and intimates that he doesn’t have huge plans for Porzingis during his rookie campaign.
From ESPN.com:
Jackson’s seconding of Gaines’ endorsement was confirmed during a pair of individual workouts, as well as Porzingis’ performance in the Las Vegas Summer League after the Knicks had selected him fourth overall. “He can score,” says Jackson, “but his natural bent is to be a team player. On defense, he can block shots from behind and is quick enough to stay in front of guards in screen-roll situations.”
Jackson projects that Porzingis will add at least 10 pounds of muscle before his first season commences, yet concerns still linger over his prize draft pick. “Like Shawn Bradley, who was nevertheless a pretty good player, KP might almost be too tall for the game. What I mean is that his core strength might never be good enough, and that he might not be able to get low enough to get himself into prime defensive position to body power rebounders or drivers.”
So, then, what does Jackson foresee in Porzingis’ rookie season?
“It’s entirely up to [coach Derek Fisher], but it would be great if KP could get as much as 20 minutes a game early in the season, plus maybe a few more later when he’s acclimated to the NBA game. It also has to be determined whether he’ll be more comfortable at power forward or center.”
No, that ending isn’t as bad as the title implies. The Knicks don’t appear bent on chaining Porzingis to a minutes cap. They don’t look as if they’ll even pin him to a certain position. But 20 minutes isn’t a lot, even though Jackson talks like it is. The Knicks are rebuilding and need their young guns to see extensive playing time, and 20 minutes is hardly extensive playing time.
Of course, a future Hall of Famer like Dirk Nowitzki only averaged 20.4 minutes per game during his rookie crusade, so it’s not the end of the world if that’s what happens. The more important point is that the Knicks shouldn’t be catering to the now completely. They have an incentive to chase a lower-seeded playoff berth since they don’t own the rights to their own draft pick, but if Zinger is raw, they shouldn’t tether him to the bench just for the sake of wins.
It seems they’re prepared to put him on a modestly long leash to start, which should be good enough. But the true test of their big plans, of their dedication to the future, won’t be wholly evident until Porzinger’s role is more clearly carved.
