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New York Knicks: 5 questions at the season’s quarter mark

By Jonathan Macri

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 13: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3,Frank Ntilikina #11 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks react in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 2017 in New York City.The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 03: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks reacts after a dunk in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on November 3, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 03: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks reacts after a dunk in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on November 3, 2017 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

4. Will Kristaps keep riding the good ship lollipop?

You may have heard through the grapevine that Kristaps Porzingis was none too thrilled with his team by the end of last season. We know he had an issue with Jackson (who is probably high as you’re reading this, as he likely was during most of his tenure as President of Basketball Ops) but depending on how you want to read the tealeaves, his issues went far beyond the former head honcho.

I say “went” because by all indications, those issues are a thing of the past. Sure, his brother made headlines by saying that KP was no sure bet to resign with the team, but we’ve been given no indication from the man himself that he’s been anything but pleased with the current state of the team and direction of the franchise.

Yet.

After the Blazers game, Porzingis had some interesting things to say in response to his head coach and teammate Tim Hardawy Jr. questioning the team’s effort. It was so subtle it was easy to miss.

From Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com:

"“What drains our energy is when we don’t play disciplined or we don’t play the right way,” Porzingis told reporters. “That drains our energy. “Then it’s like, ‘Oh, he did the wrong thing, that guy, the coach, whatever.’ We try to find excuses in those moments and our energy comes down. The effort is there. Mentally, we want to push ourselves, we want to play hard. It just looks that way on the outside because of what’s going on in the inside. If we can stay disciplined again, we’ll get energy from getting stops defensively, making the right pass, shooting the right shot, those kind of things. Simple things.”"

See that? See what he did there??? He disagreed with a teammate’s assessment. SOUND THE ALARM.

Ok, so it’s not a cause for concern…yet. But when you lose games looking the way the team did on Monday night, it’s easy for a few sparks to turn into something that wipes out the whole block.

Porzingis is a smart guy.

He knows that whether they make the playoffs or not, nothing of note is happening this season. But if he’s going to commit to this team for the prime of his career, he damn well better be sure that they’re forming a culture where guys play, as he says, “the right way.” And who can blame him.

For all the “tank or bust” people out there, that’s the disaster scenario. It’s hard to feel like your team know’s what it’s doing while it is simultaneously losing 50 games for the fourth year in a row.

Yes, Porzingis would lose a boatload of money by signing his qualifying offer in a year and a half and then signing elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent. It would never come to that. Again, he’s not stupid. If he felt things were going in the wrong direction, he would force a trade quicker than you can say Three Six Latvia.

If you don’t think he has the clout or intestinal fortitude to follow through with such a demand, I have a bridge to show you at a very reasonable price. This is the NBA. Show me the last high-profile guy who wanted out of a situation and didn’t get their way. He’ll make it happen if he wants to, and if he does, nothing else matters. Nothing.

So on that pleasant note, let’s end in the only logical place we can…

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