Kristaps Porzingis on Knicks Tenure: 'It Sucks' We Couldn't 'Do Something Big'
Heading into his first game at Madison Square Garden since the New York Knicks traded him in January, Kristaps Porzingis addressed his time with the organization.
Per SNY.tv, Porzingis expressed regret that he wasn't able to be part of something special with the Knicks: "When you're a Knick—and we weren't even doing that well—but when you're decent, there's usually a lot of love and you get treated really well. This is a basketball city. And it sucks that we never really got to do something big here."
Thursday's matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Knicks will mark Porzingis' first appearance in front of New York fans since tearing his ACL on Feb. 6, 2018.
The relationship between Porzingis and the Knicks grew strained to the point that the franchise moved on from the 24-year-old star prior to last season's trade deadline.
Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, some of the tensions that existed between the two sides included Porzingis being "alarmed" with how the Knicks treated Carmelo Anthony and "established little trust in Knicks president Steve Mills’ direction of the team."
Berman noted the Knicks felt Porzingis started exhibiting "diva" behavior and felt he "was becoming detached from the team" leading up to his camp telling the organization he wouldn't give them a long-term commitment.
In the three seasons Porzingis played for the Knicks, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in 195 games. The team went 92-204 from 2015-18 and never finished higher than third in the Atlantic Division.
Dallas Mavericks Defensive and Player Development coach, God Shammgod, joins “The Full 48 with Howard Beck” to discuss New York basketball and culture, today’s NBA style of play, his childhood love of the New York Knicks, the art of dribbling versus ball handling, coaching, and his friendship with Kobe Bryant.
