Ahead of Durant, wow. Didnt know KP was that popular, well deserved.

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

fishmike wrote:he's a sensation. Just stay healthy baby. We are watching the genesis of something special. He is very Jeter-like in how he conducts himself.

this

not jeter like really. KP is so much more personal and less stuck up. Jeter is a bit like dimaggio

It does remind of Jeter's rookie season though. Just the fact that he's a kid, but it instantly seems like he's a total veteran and professional and winner on the floor. I think on the floor/field they conduct themselves similarly. Off the court, I like KP's persona better than Jeter's. But on court, I can see it.

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

fishmike wrote:he's a sensation. Just stay healthy baby. We are watching the genesis of something special. He is very Jeter-like in how he conducts himself.

this

not jeter like really. KP is so much more personal and less stuck up. Jeter is a bit like dimaggio

It does remind of Jeter's rookie season though. Just the fact that he's a kid, but it instantly seems like he's a total veteran and professional and winner on the floor. I think on the floor/field they conduct themselves similarly. Off the court, I like KP's persona better than Jeter's. But on court, I can see it.

yea... that is what I was referring to. Also KP "seems" more accessible with social media etc (Jeter didnt have that) but Jeter wasnt stuck up. He had very clear boundaries with the media, which was dont ask me about personal stuff and keep it to baseball. When they prodded over those things he was pretty clear about he brushed them off. KP doesnt really say much at all and they are similar that way. He gives credit to teammates, coaches and says he's just trying to help the team win and get better. Text book. Both conduct themselves like this has been thought out and all part of the plan.

yeah, I remember being surprised in the early 2000s when I first started hearing all the rumors of what a lady's man Jeter was. I hadn't paid attention to that sort of thing at all before the internet kicked into high gear.

I can see a similarity between the two, for sure. Mainly that early on in their rookie seasons they both just seemed like consumate professional winners who would be around for a long long time.

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

fishmike wrote:he's a sensation. Just stay healthy baby. We are watching the genesis of something special. He is very Jeter-like in how he conducts himself.

this

not jeter like really. KP is so much more personal and less stuck up. Jeter is a bit like dimaggio

It does remind of Jeter's rookie season though. Just the fact that he's a kid, but it instantly seems like he's a total veteran and professional and winner on the floor. I think on the floor/field they conduct themselves similarly. Off the court, I like KP's persona better than Jeter's. But on court, I can see it.

yea... that is what I was referring to. Also KP "seems" more accessible with social media etc (Jeter didnt have that) but Jeter wasnt stuck up. He had very clear boundaries with the media, which was dont ask me about personal stuff and keep it to baseball. When they prodded over those things he was pretty clear about he brushed them off. KP doesnt really say much at all and they are similar that way. He gives credit to teammates, coaches and says he's just trying to help the team win and get better. Text book. Both conduct themselves like this has been thought out and all part of the plan.

yeah, I remember being surprised in the early 2000s when I first started hearing all the rumors of what a lady's man Jeter was. I hadn't paid attention to that sort of thing at all before the internet kicked into high gear.

I can see a similarity between the two, for sure. Mainly that early on in their rookie seasons they both just seemed like consumate professional winners who would be around for a long long time.

exactly. Both are/were very focused and very family oriented early on. Eventually KP will be his own man but you see both guys leaning on their families for stability early on which is telling. DadMelo can only do so much

Yeah, there was actually a point in early December when KP's parents had to go back to Latvia for visa issues. It coincided with a little slump by KP. I'm not sure when his parents came back, but you see him posting photos of getting dinner with them again and for the month of January he's been much much better. His family is super important to him, obviously. Hopefully they can stay here the rest of the season! And, yeah, I don't know too much about Jeter's family, but I remember his dad always used to sit really close to the field and was at almost every game.

Have to say that I have no problems with the players I root for being under the radar in terms of publicity- serves as a form of motivation and makes you work harder. Having this kind of edge is a good thing, IMO.

His popularity is going to rub some the wrong way, and you know that certain opponents are going to try to take him out of his game by being physical with him...

The thing about Porzingis is that you can be pretty sure that he is not going to be intimidated by some of the guys on the court who will try to rough him up. I expect he is pretty used to this...It happened to him over in Europe, where he was thinner and weaker than he is now, and I remember seeing guys getting rough with him over there.

Just part of the initiation...growth through combat, so to speak.

Opponents will eventually back off if they realize its not working, and as KP gets stronger, I expect he's going to deal out some punishment of his own, and other teams will think twice about getting him pissed off.

I'm waiting for some good retaliation dunks over guys who try to take him out of his game or intimidate him.

Would love to see the demographics related to who is buying his jersey as far as location and age.

Not sure anyone could have anticipated seeing a thread like this back in late June 2015. Kind of amazing.

WaltLongmire wrote:

mreinman wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:Thankfully...KP does not seem like the type of guy who will let this kind of thing get to his head, and you figure his family will keep him grounded, too.

I can't count how many times I thought that and was wrong. Fame gets to peoples heads and when things don't go so well and the media starts to tear you down, all bets are off.

Give me examples of guys you thought this of who disappointed you.

I qualified my comment a bit...but I'm pretty strong in my belief that he is not this type of person. I also think Grant is this type of guy, but he obviously doesn't have KP's emerging star potential.

I don't usually get this kind of feeling about players, but we've had a number of big "home grown" stars in NYC sports who have not let the fame affect them...especially their performance on the field or court. Jeter, Rivera, Wright, Ewing...

Have not seen anything from KP that would make me think otherwise...no cringe-worthy moments. I'm pretty old school. Not a fan of demonstrations or dances after doing something you're supposed to do, or video game ready posturing designed to draw attention to your brand. I turn away from touchdown and sack dances, and it kills me if a guy on my team does this kind of crap. As much as I would have liked Odell Beckham JR. catching passes for the Jets...I'm not sure I could take the dances and all the other demonstrative crap you get with him- the type of stuff a lot of guys around here love and defend.

KP also has another thing which might keep him grounded... the guy is basically the face of Latvia in the NBA. He's not just representing a hometown, college team, or state- he's representing a nation...and you get the sense that he realizes this.

Could I be wrong...perhaps, but I'm betting that he will remain level headed and dedicated to the task of being the best player he can be and making the Knicks the best team it can be. Remember, this is a highly touted kid who could have taken advantage of his situation early on. On a number of occasions I've mentioned that as a young "star" he was given the opportunity to have his own room on the road, and not be put with the rest of the team, but he chose to be with his teammates instead.

Time, as always, will tell, and you can shove this in my face if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty confident that I understand his way of looking at the game and his role as a professional athlete.

Walt, what's with this pretty stuff, you old school man

WaltLongmire wrote:

mreinman wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:Thankfully...KP does not seem like the type of guy who will let this kind of thing get to his head, and you figure his family will keep him grounded, too.

I can't count how many times I thought that and was wrong. Fame gets to peoples heads and when things don't go so well and the media starts to tear you down, all bets are off.

Give me examples of guys you thought this of who disappointed you.

OBJ, Cano, Arod, Griffey, Greg Jeffries, Kevin Maas (all in different ways :-) )