Knixkik wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

nyknickzingis wrote:KP is playing with an achilles problem and 2 veteran stars who think they have to showcase their worth during this losing. Rose and Melo have been playing with an extra chip because the losing is mostly put on them and not KP because of age differences.

He's definitely not 100%

However he is still on pace to be the only player in league history to hit as many 3's and have as many blocks as he is.

What KP needs is a post game. His post game is not consistent. Once he gets that, he will be unstoppable.

Just for comparison sake

KP at 21, 2nd year - 19.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2,0 bpg 55.5 TS%
Dirk at 21, 2nd year - 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg 56.4 TS%

I still see a more athletic version of Nowitzki in him. Dirk does as well. All KP needs is 1-2 offseason dedicated to post moves and being able to shoot over smaller guys. He still rushes or plays with a lack of experience to smaller defenders. He will figure it out. He picks up stupid fouls still that make him less aggrerssive. He needs to figure it out. He is such a hard worker and eats breaths and lives the game. He's not about his brand, he is not about anything but the game. I trust that he will put in the work.

And yes, fans that can't even admit that KP is on the right path to being a franchise player (not to say he will for sure become one) are ridiculous. Not in anyone's dreams would they have thought that the #4 pick in the 2015 draft would be giving the team 20/7/2 a night at 21 years old on a tean where Melo and Rose have a very high usage rate. Come on. The kid was supposed to be closer to Bargnani than anything else and he's now being measured up to Anthony Davis or Towns or Ewing's time as a Knick. Just that he's being compared to them should show you how good he's been. Meanwhile go ask the Sixers what they think of Okafor or ask the Lakers if they still would want Russell over KP.

So KP is well ahead of Dirk's production at the same age and experience, including rim protection that Dirk never developed, and people are seriously criticizing him. Beyond mind-boggling.

Is anyone seriously criticizing him? What I see about KP on this board is basically a few gentle, constructive comments and a ton of praise.

I would consider a lot of what is said in this thread. A lot of people suddenly think he's a horrible defender (despite being a league leader in opponent fg%) and some not thinking he is a franchise caliber player. In actually, it is just a small percentage of people just making a lot of noise. I think the majority of us still recognize what we have here and understand that despite the struggles, we are in a better place now than we have been as a franchise, at least in the UltimateKnicks.com era.

holfresh wrote:Ewing was all NBA 2nd team and all NBA defensive 2nd team in his second year..You really going to compare KP to Ewing...

That is not correct. Please get your facts straight. Ewing wasn't even an all-star in his 2nd year. He was all nba and all defense in his 3rd year, in which he was 25 years old. Porzingis is 21. Ewing wasn't even in the NBA yet. So yes, in comparing the 2, it is safe to say that Porzingis would be well ahead of ewing's timeline. No argument there at all.

Knixkik wrote:

holfresh wrote:Ewing was all NBA 2nd team and all NBA defensive 2nd team in his second year..You really going to compare KP to Ewing...

That is not correct. Please get your facts straight. Ewing wasn't even an all-star in his 2nd year. He was all nba and all defense in his 3rd year, in which he was 25 years old. Porzingis is 21. Ewing wasn't even in the NBA yet. So yes, in comparing the 2, it is safe to say that Porzingis would be well ahead of ewing's timeline. No argument there at all.

Third year is correct..I thought he was drafted in '86 but was'85...I was wrong...But I wasn't the one who said this was like the "Early Ewing years" with the Knicks, you were the one that said that...You started the comparison...

Both of these guys have/had desire to be a HC. It seems like this Karma has a horrible effect on the overall health of the team. I just wish Phil would have let Jeff pick all his coaches and not be shackled with Rambis.

Nothing will change until he is gone. Now the question is when. Will he take down the whole program or will somebody be smart enough to remove the bad part(s) and keep the good. It's been too long where they have been blowing up the who program instead of just getting rid of the issues. Jeff is and will be a great coach for this team but he has to be given the right ancillary tools around him to succeed.

holfresh wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

holfresh wrote:Ewing was all NBA 2nd team and all NBA defensive 2nd team in his second year..You really going to compare KP to Ewing...

That is not correct. Please get your facts straight. Ewing wasn't even an all-star in his 2nd year. He was all nba and all defense in his 3rd year, in which he was 25 years old. Porzingis is 21. Ewing wasn't even in the NBA yet. So yes, in comparing the 2, it is safe to say that Porzingis would be well ahead of ewing's timeline. No argument there at all.

Third year is correct..I thought he was drafted in '86 but was'85...I was wrong...But I wasn't the one who said this was like the "Early Ewing years" with the Knicks, you were the one that said that...You started the comparison...

Yes and that's fine, i want to see the comparison. So at this point it's safe to say, KP is the superior offensive talent and Ewing is the superior defensive talent. I think KP has upside to be greater, but it's a guess really. The age difference in each player's early years makes the comparison harder, but it's still fun nonetheless, and encouraging.

That's not how franchise players are evaluated...Look at the game last night..You can see the Sixers vortex revole around Embiid...You can see he will be their franchise player because of the gravity he pulls in context of the team...You can see how he makes them win games..Ewing was like that..KP is no where close to that regardless of his advanced offensive skills..There is a certain gravitas franchise players have...KP has not exhibited that yet..He should be that at least when he plays with the second team...These things are planned on the sidelines, It just happens..It's presence...So you can look at stats and analytica all day..When you see who the team reacts when a player is on the court tells everything...Ewing was that presence for the Knicks...

But me point that out to many of you thinks it's an insult which it isn't..it doesn't mean he won't get there..But to compare him to Ewing..Come on..

When I say winning is a talent, that's what I mean...Commanding the attention of your own team and others..Changing the game with your presence...

People thought Danny Ferry and Sean Elliot upside would be higher too...

Fair enough, but there are games where he has done what you are describing. Some games, you watch him play and wonder how he doesn't score 25+ every night. He typically rises when playing against other young, talented players. He did it against Giannis and Towns. The last couple games he hasn't, but generally speaking, he has controlled the game a lot, just not consistently yet.

Jeff talked about adding MORE Uptempo, PnR and 3pt shooting. He talked about running more stuff for KP!!! Remember that???

Hornacek said he envisions using Porzingis in “some high pick-and-rolls” and in the post to exploit mismatches. The notion that Hornacek wants to use Porzingis in high pick-and-rolls and shoot more 3s is noteworthy. That's the same approach that ex-Knicks coach Derek Fisher used with Porzingis early on last season, though it was met with resistance from team president Phil Jackson, according to sources.

“You don’t see guys who are 7-3 who can do multiple things,” Hornacek said. “In our offense, you can see him in some high pick-and-rolls, out of the sets we have, fading for 3’s. At 7-3, I still believe you can get him on the post. If a team wants to play him with a small guy and get into him, then you can throw him down there and take advantage of his height from there.

“He’s got an inside game, he’s got an outside game -- he’s 7-3,” Hornacek added. “How’s somebody going to guard him? Defensively he can help, block shots and be a presence inside. So two really good pieces there and then you add all the other role players that are going to fill their role. It’s got a good balance of vets, got some young guys. It’s what you look for.”