http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14284332/nba-5-5-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-cleveland-cavaliers-new-orleans-pelicans

1. What is Kristaps Porzingis' ceiling with the Knicks?

J.A. Adande: Der Himmel. That's German for "the sky," which is the limitation Dirk Nowitzki established for Porzingis last month. I think Porzingis can blend some (not all) of Nowitzki's skill set with some (not all) of Yao Ming's height. That's a heck of a hybrid.

Dave McMenamin: Going to have to pull a "Napoleon Dynamite" and "liger" this answer: Dark Durantlee. A combination of Nowitzki's shooting, with Mark Eaton's shot-blocking, combined with Kevin Durant's body control and the putback dunk ability of a young David Lee? Or, in other words, his ceiling is unlike any player's we've ever seen.

Marc Stein: Even though I'm the guy who said it's totally OK to indulge in Porzingis fever, I do want to interject a little caution now. No less an authority than Nowitzki himself calls Porzingis "the real deal," but if you insist on making this a "next Dirk" debate, as so many are, you can't ignore the durability factor, which is one of the undercover keys to Mr. Nowitzki's success. The ability to not only be great but stay great for so long should be as much a part of his legacy as his revolutionary shooting gifts as a stretch-4. Porzingis is most definitely a budding star -- who possesses athleticism and defensive ability Nowitzki didn't have back then and certainly doesn't now -- but it's OK if he doesn't have a career that ultimately matches Nowitzki's. We're talking about a guy, after all, who's inching toward the top five in all-time scoring.

Justin Verrier: Best Knick since Patrick Ewing. Sacrilegious, right? Well, Porzingis' PER (19.8) is currently better than a rookie Ewing (17.4), who entered the league at 23 and after four years in college. And the Zinger hasn't even found his deep stroke yet -- his surefire elite skill heading into the draft. But more surprising than the putbacks and high defensive IQ is how his whole persona has catalyzed the Knicks' fan base. Even Carmelo Anthony seems to like him, and Melo often greets in-house threats with the warmth of a "Game of Thrones" character.

Brian Windhorst: He's the most exciting European big-man prospect since Dirk. I do not closely follow the Euroleague. I've become skeptical following year after year of lottery picks ranging from 6-foot-9 to 7-2 coming over with "the next Dirk Nowitzki" attached to them. So he's blown me away. More than his skills, it's been his willingness to compete, to battle for rebounds and to want the big shot. Those are the attributes, I believe, that are going to set him apart from so many Euros who have failed.

10-10 after the first 20 with the rookie of the month and the ESPN cronies saying only health can derail this kid's stardom I would say things are pretty good in Knickland. Unless your holfresh and cant get that Mudiay tatoo removed. I dont know....

bigbasketballs wrote:

crzymdups wrote:This is from their five on five thing, was going to make a thread, but it might as well just go in here. It is weird to have ESPN interested in one of our players. It is weird that they've decided they can make more money praising Porzingis than slamming the Knicks as a terrible franchise, which was their M.O. for years.

Not not nothing, but the Knicks were a terrible franchise for years...

Is bashing the Knicks really such valuable clickbait? I kinda find it hard to believe there is that much money in writing negative articles especially when they are pretty much warranted.

We have one of the worst owners in sports and have been putrid forever with the added propensity of having Isiah freaking Thomas constantly in orbit like a vulture. I'm not sure ESPN could spin that any worse than the average Knicks fan could.

fishmike wrote:Im still working so I havent done any drugs today, but that video made me feel like I did

Yeah, that was awkward.