GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Although New York Knicks fans and perhaps Carmelo Anthony might see it differently, Phil Jackson says he was told that drafting Kristaps Porzingis could be a "once-in-a-lifetime" pick.

"When someone says to me [that] this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I have to be alert," Jackson said of what Knicks basketball adviser Clarence Gaines Jr. told him and how Porzingis eventually became a Knick. "And [I have to] consider that after he's been in this business for as long as he has, I think he has as good of an eye as he has on talent."

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Late last winter, Gaines texted Jackson from Madrid, where he was watching the 7-foot-2 forward play. Gaines, who was on the Bulls' staff with Jackson during their six championships in the 1990s, said he had an "eye-opening" experience.

That is how the process began of Porzingis becoming the fourth overall pick by the Knicks on Thursday night, Jackson said.

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

Scouting young prospects in Europe is not so much about them dominating as it is using your projection skills to forecast what they can develop into. Most the time these kids aren't logging heavy minutes. In the case of KP he has been showing good signs. Our top scouts went and watched him in person. Clarence Gaines Jr. went over and vouched for the kid and others went over and checked him out too.

It's also known that many other teams were very high on him. He went #4 so it's not like there were a lot of players ahead of him. He was a legit top 5 pick on most peoples boards.

Regardless, I'm coming around on the pick. (what choice do I have!) Clarence Gaines is the guy who told Phil to sign Langston Galloway. He's clearly got a good eye for talent. KP can be very good here.

I also like this, which I posted in another thread:

crzymdups wrote:If you look at Kristaps instagram feed - https://instagram.com/kporzee/ - (clearly I did no work today), every other photo is him with Willie Hernangomez, the guy we took in the second round. They're best friends. I think this is a smart move in a lot of ways to show that we are committed to Kristaps and making him comfortable here. And it seems like he could be a decent backup center - or maybe starter. He defends the post well and supposedly he and KP defend off each other, sort of like Towns and WCS did.

Hernangomez's foot speed gives him some upside as a pick and roll defender and he should improve his understanding on this end as he gains experience, but his lack of length and athleticism limits his potential as an individual defender regardless. He benefited this season playing alongsideKristaps Porzingis, who provides the ideal shot blocking presence from the power forward position to help compensate for his limitations.

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

You could say this about many players, unless you played in China.

I posted the European scoring leaders and the Chinese scoring leaders in one thread.

Do some research on your own and reach your own conclusions. Different breed of ball.

To be honest, in some ways the Kentucky statistics are the same as the Euro stats because Calipari does a decent job of spreading out minutes, whatever you think of his coaching style.

CrushAlot wrote:^^^^He said it after he was picked I believe so it didn't help Kristaps/Miller.

Yeah, but flattery helps get him the next story from Andy Miller. Free agency period is three days away.

Watch who breaks all the stories about where Andy Miller's clients sign. Betcha it's Wojo.

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

They said in an espn article (which i don't have on-hand) that his translated stats to college ball would be almost identical to Okafor if he were hypothetically at Duke instead of Okafor. I realize that isn't much proof, but those who are good with those types of advanced analytics are convinced he would have dominated as a college freshman.

crzymdups wrote:

VCoug wrote:

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

The argument is that, unlike NCAA players who play against their peers of a similar age and physical maturity, Porzingis is a teenager that was playing against full grown men. So, all his stats need to be taken with a grain of salt kind of like how when HS players jumped to the NBA their stats were never good. Also, his stats are supposed to be on par with other Euro players that have had successful NBA careers like Pau Gasol or Mirotic.

Where I'm getting confused about when looking at his stats are which ones are from EuroLeague and which ones from EuroCup because he played in both. Basically, if EuroLeague is the NBA of Europe then EuroCup is the D-League of Europe and every time I see his stats brought up someone says that they aren't EuroLeague stats but EuroCup stats.

I've been reading a lot about him today to try and convince myself that he'll be a good player but I just can't do it. I was calling him Shawn Bradley last night and I've seen others compare him to Channing Frye which seems like a better comparison.

He's more explosive than either guy, with a much better shooting touch. And he's not dumb. His personality reminds me of Mozgov which I think is a good sign. Will he get dunked on his rookie season? Probably. But Mozgov got Blake'd and almost just won a chip. Just pretend he's Pau Gasol meets Dirk for the summer and we will see what happens.

Clarence Gaines calling him a "once in a lifetime player" holds some water with me.

Who knows what'll happen, but I think his basement is a Bargnani who likes the game and tries harder. And if Bargnani liked the game and tried hard he wouldn't suck so much.

Yeah and he actually has more physical talent than Bargs. I think this kid actually wants to be great. That is a huge factor for me. Talented players that want to be great usually achieve their goal. That's what makes Dirk so great. Dude works hard on his craft and has passion for the game. I feel like KP has that passion.

crzymdups wrote:

VCoug wrote:

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

The argument is that, unlike NCAA players who play against their peers of a similar age and physical maturity, Porzingis is a teenager that was playing against full grown men. So, all his stats need to be taken with a grain of salt kind of like how when HS players jumped to the NBA their stats were never good. Also, his stats are supposed to be on par with other Euro players that have had successful NBA careers like Pau Gasol or Mirotic.

Where I'm getting confused about when looking at his stats are which ones are from EuroLeague and which ones from EuroCup because he played in both. Basically, if EuroLeague is the NBA of Europe then EuroCup is the D-League of Europe and every time I see his stats brought up someone says that they aren't EuroLeague stats but EuroCup stats.

I've been reading a lot about him today to try and convince myself that he'll be a good player but I just can't do it. I was calling him Shawn Bradley last night and I've seen others compare him to Channing Frye which seems like a better comparison.

He's more explosive than either guy, with a much better shooting touch. And he's not dumb. His personality reminds me of Mozgov which I think is a good sign. Will he get dunked on his rookie season? Probably. But Mozgov got Blake'd and almost just won a chip. Just pretend he's Pau Gasol meets Dirk for the summer and we will see what happens.

Clarence Gaines calling him a "once in a lifetime player" holds some water with me.

Who knows what'll happen, but I think his basement is a Bargnani who likes the game and tries harder. And if Bargnani liked the game and tried hard he wouldn't suck so much.

He's also very weak and shies away from contact; he's a bad rebounder (I think); and he's definitely a terrible passer averaging less than 1 assist/40 minutes.

VCoug wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

VCoug wrote:

Knicks1969 wrote:I have one question about KP: has he dominated any of the league or games that he played in? If not, why is it that many on this board think that this dude will be a great player??

The argument is that, unlike NCAA players who play against their peers of a similar age and physical maturity, Porzingis is a teenager that was playing against full grown men. So, all his stats need to be taken with a grain of salt kind of like how when HS players jumped to the NBA their stats were never good. Also, his stats are supposed to be on par with other Euro players that have had successful NBA careers like Pau Gasol or Mirotic.

Where I'm getting confused about when looking at his stats are which ones are from EuroLeague and which ones from EuroCup because he played in both. Basically, if EuroLeague is the NBA of Europe then EuroCup is the D-League of Europe and every time I see his stats brought up someone says that they aren't EuroLeague stats but EuroCup stats.

I've been reading a lot about him today to try and convince myself that he'll be a good player but I just can't do it. I was calling him Shawn Bradley last night and I've seen others compare him to Channing Frye which seems like a better comparison.

He's more explosive than either guy, with a much better shooting touch. And he's not dumb. His personality reminds me of Mozgov which I think is a good sign. Will he get dunked on his rookie season? Probably. But Mozgov got Blake'd and almost just won a chip. Just pretend he's Pau Gasol meets Dirk for the summer and we will see what happens.

Clarence Gaines calling him a "once in a lifetime player" holds some water with me.

Who knows what'll happen, but I think his basement is a Bargnani who likes the game and tries harder. And if Bargnani liked the game and tried hard he wouldn't suck so much.

He's also very weak and shies away from contact; he's a bad rebounder (I think); and he's definitely a terrible passer averaging less than 1 assist/40 minutes.

One of Kevon Looneys best skills is that he is a greatpasser and he averages 1.4 assists at a 40 min pace. So we can't know for sure. For his size, rebounding could use work, he gets 8-9 rebounds at a 40 minute pace.