Nobody wants injures to happen, and from the Knicks’ vantage point, the anterior cruciate ligament tear on Kristaps Porzingis’ left knee the other day was just about the worst that could happen. Already in the midst of a swoon that had them winning just five of their last 18 games, the turn of events, which figures to sideline their top dog for the remainder of the season, all but scuttled their plans to make the playoffs.
On the other hand, the longer-term prognosis for the Knicks has them actually benefiting from Porzingis’ sidelining. Even as they were hitherto intent on battling for a postseason berth, their glaring inability to close out matches handicapped their cause. Heading into their match against the Bucks the other night (which, needless to say, led to yet another setback), they were five games off the eighth seed in the East and still dropping in the standings.
With Porzingis now out for the foreseeable future, the Knicks have no choice but to change their mind-set. Given their lack of competitiveness without their leading scorer and shot-blocker, they’ll be bent on tanking from here on. And if there’s any good news, it’s that the injury occurred before the trade deadline. Already, they’ve dealt seldom-used Willy Hernangomez, and are shopping starter Courtney Lee and reserve Kyle O’Quinn, in an effort to stack up on draft assets. As general manager Scott Perry noted, “our job is to get this team in better position for when he returns to the court so he returns to a group more cohesive, stronger and hopefully a little more talented.”
A tall order? Perhaps, and certainly made no easier by the albatross of a contract departed executive Phil Jackson gave to the banished Joakim Noah. All the same, the Knicks now have the opportunity to give the core of their future more on-court exposure and, as a result, experience, an option that was not on the table during their win-at-any-cost phase.
Make no mistake. The injury to Porzingis deals the Knicks a severe blow. He’ll be out for the better part of a year, which means his progress as their go-to guy will be stunted. That said, it’s not a death blow. If nothing else, it’s a chance for them to reboot their program, and, hopefully, they’ll be able to get things right this time around.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
