Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony have been nothing but respectful and complimentary of each other (if not complementary on the court). They always say the right thing.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, the career arcs of their two stars do not cross in a way that gets the team anywhere near an NBA title with them together. Which is why Phil Jackson has been active in trying to move Anthony — Porzingis is the future, and the team needs more athletes closer to his age and fitting with his skill set. That’s how to build something lasting in Madison Square Garden. It’s a direction that makes sense.
That doesn’t mean Porzingis wants to see Anthony traded, rather the opposite, as he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.“I think it would make life harder for me on the court (if Anthony was traded),” Porzingis told the Daily News. “He makes stuff easier for me.”
“There’s still a lot more things I want to learn from Melo,” Porzingis told the News. “So I would love to have him around for a long time. I always love playing with Melo.”
Right now, Anthony does make Porzingis’ life easier. However, Wednesday night you could witness the potential future of the Knicks, when Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez led a comeback win over the Nets with Anthony glued to the bench. Granted, it was the Nets, but it still counts.
It’s understandable Jackson wants to start moving toward that future sooner rather than later (Knick fans wanted him to do it last summer). However, considering the trade options on the table right now, Porzingis may get his wish and have Anthony around for at least the rest of this season.