Kristaps Porzingis skipped out on his exit interview with the Knicks, sending a message that he was not happy with the direction/management of the organization.
That Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills didn’t show up at Porzingis’ house, or fly to Latvia, to have a face-to-face with the young player, express their frustration and hear his concerns, and try to bridge the gap with the face and future of the franchise was a mistake.
Finally, Jackson has sat down with Janis Porzingis — Kristaps brother and agent, himself a former pro basketball player in Europe — but that didn’t solve things, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.However, the lengthy sit-down in New York accomplished very little to bridge the chasm as Jackson remained steadfast in his ways and direction, according to a team source...
Both Jackson and Janis spoke around these issues to the media prior to their meeting, with the latter telling ESPN that Kristaps wants to remain in New York but also desires “for the Knicks to create an environment where he can develop and grow as a player and win.”
Apparently Porzingis can’t do much about the future, either, with Jackson unrelenting in his philosophies while aiming to increase his influence over the coaching staff. According to sources, one of Jackson’s objectives is to tailor the workouts and training sessions around learning the triangle offense.
Jackson sees the triangle as the Knicks culture, and his personal legacy to the franchise. When he walks away in a couple of years (he has two left on his contract), he wants this style of play to be something ingrained in the Knicks and at the core of who they are. The fact he has a coach who doesn’t know how to teach the triangle and that players aren’t thrilled about it seems lost on him.
This summer Jackson needs to get more talent on the roster, and not just with stop-gap players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah — there needs to be a long-term plan to build around Porzingis. The style of play is not the culture — look at how many times have the Spurs switched up their style of play under Gregg Popovich to fit the talent on the roster — and trading Carmelo Anthony is not some cure-all.
That Jackson and Porzingis are not on the same page is a concern, this is the kind of thing that has held the Knicks back for years. Porzingis isn’t going anywhere, he’s still under his rookie deal and next summer the Knicks can and should offer him a max extension. He will outlast Jackson, and Porzingis knows the kind of influence and impact elite players can have on a franchise. Porzingis get it, he and his agent/brother know what a winning franchise looks and feels like, and they know they are not in it.