When Kristaps Porzingis went down with a torn ACL in his left knee last Feb. 6 at Madison Square Garden versus the Miwaukee Bucks, it was a high probability he would miss the entirety of this season. Back in September, Knicks president Steve Mills stated the team would be prudent and cautious regarding the 23-year-old All-Star, who former team president Phil Jackson selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
“Our goal is not to do anything that jeopardizes KP’s future as being one of the foundational pieces of this team,” said Mills. “We’ll start to develop the right plan for him, his plan to come back. But we’re not going to do anything that jeopardizes the future of this franchise. We’re going to be consistent and stay true to that.”
So, given the understandable desire for fans eager to have the team’s lone star back in uniform, a non-story became a story last week when Knicks head coach Dave Fizdale admitted he was unaware Porzingis had begun to run straight line sprints in his rehab process. Fizdale noted that Porzingis was able to run lightly and that his recovery was a gradual, step-by-step undertaking.
“He’s grinding, trying to get it right,” said Fizdale. “It’s just one of those injuries we’re going to take our time with, make sure it’s right.” His comments seemed incongruous and ill-informed after Porzingis posted a video of himself on social media running sprints. But Fizdale wasn’t left in the dark regarding Porzingis as it was spun by some. His focus, as it should be, is on his roster of players who are healthy and able to perform as they were in Oklahoma City last night (Wednesday) to face the Thunder.
The Knicks were 4-10 going into the game and had lost four of their previous five, including a dispirited 115-89 blowout defeat to the Orlando Magic at the Garden Sunday night. They will be in New Orleans to play the Pelicans tomorrow and travel to Orlando for a rematch with the Magic on Sunday before returning to New York to host the Portland Trailblazers next Tuesday.
There is no urgency to rush Porzingis back. If he sits out the remainder of this season or returns in late February or March, it will have little relevance to where the Knicks will finish in the standings. The odds of them making the playoffs with or without him are plausibly low. Mills, general manager Scott Perry and Fizdale have been aligned in their thinking that a sustainable, long-term rebuilding plan is paramount with Porzingis as one of the firm cornerstones.
“I’m looking at these guys right now. I’m not even planning on KP at all,” said Fizdale. “I can see instantly how he fits, but I’m just trying to keep my mind focused on them,” he said of his players on the active roster. “Because that would just be a huge distraction for me mentally, hoping and wishing for KP, that 25, 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, whatever. I’ve got to lock in on these young bucks, keep them up to par.”
Fizdale concluded, “I’d rather be focused on the day-to-day task with these guys, and when he gets back that’ll just be a gift for me.”