So, um, uh-oh.
Kristaps Porzingis has missed seven of the New York Knicks’ last 11 games while dealing with a sore Achilles, including each of the past four tilts. Achilles injuries are always fickle, but classifying it as sore implies an optimistic outlook.
But that favorable prognosis, assuming there ever was one, may be gone. Porzingis is having an MRI on his Achilles, and the Knicks do not have a timetable for his return, per the New York Daily News Stefan Bondy:
Believing all along he’d recover faster, Kristaps Porzingis instead suffered a setback with his Achilles injury Monday, missed his fourth straight game Wednesday, and is now scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday.
Porzingis isn’t too concerned about the “pinch” in his Achilles, which he said occurs when attempting to push off his left foot. But in the spirit of caution regarding a sensitive area – and with the threat that soreness might lead to a tear — Porzingis is no longer predicting his return date.
He characterized his recovery at “90 percent.” The Knicks were 1-5 without Porzingis heading into Wednesday’s game at Boston.
“I don’t know (about playing in Thursday’s game against the Wizards),” Porzingis said. “It felt good (Wednesday), but it’s been like, ‘I’m going to play the next game, I’m going to play the next game.’ It’s been like that forever. At this point I have to be smart and when it’s 100 percent I’m back. It feels good but it’s not there yet.”
The Knicks would do well to play things super tight with their 21-year-old unicorn. Making the playoffs this season is important, given how much money team president Phil Jackson funneled into an aging core over the summer, but Porzingis’ big-picture livelihood must take priority. He is the future of the organization, and this version of the Knicks is on the fast track to nowhere, postseasn berth or not.
Even if the MRI comes back negative, New York shouldn’t rush Porzingis into the rotation if he’s anything less than 100 percent. And if they are still not totally comfortable playing him, they shouldn’t. Whatever the prognosis, whatever the sense of urgency attached to this season, remaining cautious with your franchise’s best and only hope of a legitimate turnaround is never a bad decision.
