WaltLongmire wrote:ESOMKnicks wrote:
The impression that I got from KP's Spanish highlight videos and which made me question whether he could ever be a franchise cornerstone is that he is simply not a one-on-one, create-his-own-shot, gimme-the-damn-ball-and-get-the-hell-outta-my-way player. He needs to play within a team concept for his offense: put backs, rolls to the basket, open jump shots. Without teammates passing him the ball or plays called for him, I just don't know how effective he can be.So far, SL play only reinforces my view.
So after all the Fredric Weis and Darko insults the poor Latvian has had to endure; after the draft night booing by people who had not even taken the time to learn about who he was; after all the jokes about his lack of strength and rail thin 195 lbs. body; after all the talk of him being a 5 year project, and how Melo was being betrayed by Jackson, there comes the most devastating criticism of them all...Kris Porzingis...YOU ARE A TEAM PLAYER!Where is that American "me first" attitude we all crave... where is that swagger that we all love to see? Why oh why, Kris, are you looking to be part of a team and not selfishly promoting yourself? Forget about passing the ball or setting screens, you should be putting up 15-20 shots and making 5 of them like many of your American born counterparts are doing in SL. How will the NBA market you...how will you market yourself and your brand, if you continue to play selflessly, and not selfishly?!
Who do you think you are, Kris Porzingis...some kind of Latvian Bill Russell??
If you actually take a deep breath, have some iced coffee, or some other legal stimulant which may wake you up, and then look again at what you just wrote, perhaps...just perhaps, if you have any sense, you may come to understand why Phil Jackson, and not you, is in charge of creating a competitive team and choosing what kind of players will help the franchise achieve the success it has not had in many many years.
You are making a big assumption that the Knicks will play team ball with plays designed to cater specifically to KP's abilities.
And a championship NBA team needs a franchise player capable of single-handedly taking over a game when the going gets tough. Curry, LeBron, Duncan, Dirk, Pierce all had that ability. Whether KP has it remains to be seen, so far I have not seen how he can beat his defender one-on-one straight up, let alone deal with a double team. And that is an important facet of the NBA game for a star player, whether you like it or not.
Sorry if I am not yet ready to bring sacrificial lambs onto the altar of KP worship, as you might like me to. I really like the kid, I do, but commenting on what I am seeing so far.
