Tag: Kristaps Porzingis

“I Think We Know What We’re Doing”

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 7 Comments

Phil-Jackson

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Phil Jackson is craz….AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Sorry. I’m having a hard time controlling myself after RE-watching Phil Jackson’s interview from last night with Al Trautwig. It is hard to sit through 4:59 of non-stop insanity. Try it..I dare you. You can click here to see the entire interview. I do not know where to start, but I’m going to try….

With any good story, you must establish the setting. Ya know, that word you learned back in elementary school. So it’s June, and we are leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft (which is tonight). Trades are happening, rumors are flying around, and teams are doing their final evaluations of the talent in the draft. We are in New York, and the Knicks are in complete rebuild mode. That means working toward the future. Which leads me to the craziest thing Phil Jackson said last night.

Phil was asked why he would consider trading Kristaps Porzingis. His response was a 1-word answer; FUTURE. As in, trading Porzingis (who is 21 years old) would somehow help us build toward the future. PORZINGIS IS THE DEFINITION OF FUTURE!! What else could you possibly want in building toward the future than a 21-year old with so much potential they need to raise the ceiling in Madison Square Garden?? Now let’s rewind to Al Trautwig’s first Porzingis question. Trautwig asked if the trade rumors were true surrounding Porzingis. Phil took that as an opportunity to stress how upset he was over Porzingis skipping an exit meeting last season. Phil continued by misremembering his own history as a coach. Phil said, “I’ve never had a player skip an exit meeting in my 30 years of coaching. Nope. It’s never happened to me. It happens to other people but not me.”

Enter Shaquille O’ Neal, ummm, twice PHIL!! Shaq skipped not 1, but 2 exit meetings with Phil Jackson (in 2003 and 2004) when he was with the Lakers. I love the part where he says it happens to others but not me. As if he’s special. Oh he’s special alright.

Maybe Phil is legitimately going senile.

Phil was also asked if he planned to re-sign Derrick Rose. His answer should have been a knee-jerk reaction NO. Instead, he hit Trautwig with an “it depends”. It depends on what Phil?! If you are wearing depends by the time Rose blows out his knee for the 14th time?! Give me a freakin’ break!!

And this last one takes the cake….

Al Trautwig appropriately pointed out that Knicks fans are “uneasy” with what’s going on with the Knicks. There’s the understatement of the century. He then asked Phil what he would say to fans who feel this way?? His unbelievably smug response was, “I think we know what we’re doing.”

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING?!?!

Did you know what you were doing when you gave Joakim Noah the worst contract in NBA history? Did you know what you were doing when you hired and fired Derek Fisher after YOU put the team in tank-mode? Did you know what you were doing when you ripped Carmelo Anthony publicly and THEN tried to trade him?

So why the hell should we think you know what you’re doing as you try to trade the Knicks’ best draft pick since Patrick Ewing???? It only took 30 years by the way, of occasionally drafting in the 1st round, to find Porzingis. Yeah, we should trade him for a bag of peanuts.

Hey Phil, stop trying to get fired, and just quit already. You have enough money, and you’re driving me insane.

What did you think of Phil Jackson?? Is he the worst General Manager of all-time??

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends about me!!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Let The Trades Begin!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

kristaps

The NBA offseason is more entertaining than the ACTUAL NBA season. The NBA Finals ended 9 days ago, and I ‘ve already had more fun discussing possible trades and the upcoming draft than I did watching the Golden State Warriors embarrass the league. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers kicked off the fun Monday with their trade of picks, but that was just the snowball at the top of the mountain. Tuesday had us wondering if that snowball would turn into an avalanche.

Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in Thursday’s draft. This trade makes sense for both teams, however, the Lakers got the better end of the deal. Yes, they lose Russell, who was the 2nd overall pick just 2 short years ago, but his time in L.A. has been rocky to say the least. More importantly, the Lakers rid themselves of an atrocious Mozgov contract. His original 4-year, $64 million contract has 3 years left, so the Nets will eat the remaining $48 million. The Lakers receive the expiring contract of Brook Lopez, which will create oodles of cap-space come this time next year (aka the push for Lebron James). And they receive a draft pick. It’s always good to receive draft picks rather than give them (ahem, Brooklyn, ahem New York, ahem). Lastly, this leads to the assumption that the Lakers will select the walking distraction, Lonzo Ball, with the 2nd overall pick on Thursday.

In their own version of a salary dump, the Atlanta Hawks sent the albatross contract (3 years, $70.5 million) of Dwight Howard and the 31st pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the 41st pick in the draft. There’s not much of a story here, as Dwight Howard is a shell of himself. Charlotte shouldn’t expect Howard to bring any Defensive Player of the Year trophies to Charlotte anytime soon.

And then there’s the New York Knicks. My beloved Knicks. Just when you think they’ve hit rock-bottom, they whip out the sledgehammer and drill through the floor. How is it possible that Phil Jackson is shopping Kristaps Porzingis?!

Kristaps Porzingis should be virtually untradeable.

The Knicks are in total rebuild mode. I’m sorry, let me try that again. The Knicks SHOULD be in total rebuild mode. It’s hard to rebuild when you don’t (or can’t) trade Carmelo Anthony. And it would be impossible if you trade the 21-year old, building block that is Kristaps Porzingis. IF, Phil Jackson wants to entertain trade offers for Porzingis, his price should be so obnoxiously high it causes rival general managers to throw up in their mouths. I’m serious.

For example, if Celtics’ General Manager Danny Ainge calls, Phil Jackson should ask for the 3rd pick in this draft, next year’s 1st round pick, and Jaylen Brown. Oh and they’d have to take on Joakim Noah’s contract (quite possibly the worst contract in NBA history). I know exactly what you’re thinking, “that’s crazy, that’s way too much!!” EXACTLY!! Because you SHOULDN’T trade Porzingis!!

Here’s a point I haven’t heard anyone suggest. We all know Phil Jackson is doing a horrible job as the President of the Knicks. All I keep hearing is, “when Phil Jackson is gone, and in 2 years when we aren’t being force fed the Triangle.” Yeah, well why do we assume James Dolan won’t extend Phil Jackson’s contract???? Maybe Dolan thinks Phil is doing a great job. You and I, and anyone who knows anything about sports, would think that’s insane, but our opinion doesn’t matter.

James Dolan’s opinion is the only one that matters.

SOOOOOOOO, imagine a world where James Dolan extends Phil Jackson’s contract 3 more years. That may cause fans to jump ship and root for a new team………..

 

What would it take for you to trade Kristaps Porzingis?? Who got the better deal in the Lakers/Nets trade?? Tell me all about it in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

 

 

I’m More Of A Rhombus Guy Myself, Phil

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

phil

Well, the New York Knicks lost again on Tuesday. The Knicks lost?? But I thought their season was over?? Oh, they might not be playing games anymore, but that hasn’t kept them from being losers. I bet you didn’t realize Squints from The Sandlot was actually talking about the Knicks….

l7

 

But seriously, the Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves finished tied this season with a record of 31-51 (stellar I know). And two days ago, the Knicks lost a ping pong ball tiebreaker (those are 4 words I didn’t think I was going to say today), leaving them 7th in the draft order, 1 spot behind the Timberwolves. This is assuming neither team lands a top 3 pick when they select the draft lottery on May 16th. But Dave, it’s only 1 spot, why are you making a big deal about it? First, 1 spot can mean the difference between Stephen Curry and Jordan Hill. Second, it represents the Knicks’ culture. The Knicks are, for lack of a better term, ‘stuck in the mud’.

This losing culture starts and ends with Knicks’ Owner, James Dolan. Little Jimmy Dolan, as I like to call him, inherited the Knicks from his daddy, Charles Dolan. And despite biting the hand that feeds him, Little Jimmy is still The Chairman of Madison Square Garden Company. This means he is only in charge of the things he couldn’t screw up if he tried (financially speaking that is). However, he has screwed up the Knicks’ franchise, mightily.

Dolan hired Phil Jackson to be President of the Knicks 3 years ago. Let me start by saying, I don’t care who you are or what you say, no one in the world thought this was a bad hire. But after 3 looooooooong years, there is only 1 header that can rest atop Phil Jacksons’ performance review; DUMPSTER FIRE!! Phil Jackson is regarded as one of the best coaches in NBA history, but unless he plans to scale down the 8,490 foot ladder from his golden pedestal to start coaching again, it’s time for him to pack his bags. Only problem there is, James Dolan refuses to fire him. Dolan, aka Einstein, has repeatedly stated he must honor his contract with Phil for 5 years. Yeah that’s great, but you had an opt-out written into the contract. This gives either side the legal right to part ways after 3 years (which last time I checked is NOW). Sooooooooooooo Jimmy, what are we waiting for? What if Phil literally set fire to the Garden? Would that be a fireable offense? Well, let me run through the things I call fireable offenses:

  • Don’t address the media for 2 and 3/4 years and when you finally do state the obvious that your best player would probably be better off elsewhere
  • Hire “your guy” Derek Fisher, and then unceremoniously fire him a year and a half into a 5-year contract even though you were clearly tanking
  • Everything you have done, said, or thought about saying as it pertains to Carmelo Anthony (Melo’ is who he is – a great scorer who gets rebounds by default because he’s 6’8″ and has no interest in playing defense; whatsoever)
  • Insane stubbornness to run a wildly out of date system known as “the triangle” even though numerous NBA players have publicly stated they have zero interest in playing it
  • Attending Shaq’s statue unveiling (even though I’m a big fan of The Diesel) while he should have been attending the Kentucky/UCLA Sweet Sixteen match-up. I mean, it’s not like there were 11 NBA prospects in that game….
  • And last but not least, signing Joakim Noah to an obscene 4-year, $72 million contract. Need I say more?!

 

 

 

There are way more things Phil Jackson has done wrong in the past 3 years, but I ran out of paper. The solution to this problem is simple: Fire Phil, hire someone competent (like me), collect draft picks rather than give them away, build through the draft, and once you have a base of 2 or 3 solid players attract free agents. Period, end of story.

Have a solution to the Knicks’ problems? Tell me in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Are the Knicks the Worst Franchise in Sports? (aka New York Knicks 2015 Draft Review)

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

porzingis

I don’t know where to start.  I spent all of last night trying not to break things in my house.  And this morning, I am still not sure what to do.  Let’s start with the New York Knicks 1st round pick.  His name is Kristaps Porzingis.  Yes you heard that right; PORZINGIS.  He was selected with the #4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.  He is 19 years old, and he hails from Latvia.  He is listed at 7’1″, and his weight remains a mystery, but he is approximately 210 pounds.  I don’t know him outside of what I’ve heard on television, radio, and the internet, but I have spent some time watching his film.  I am here to tell you that it is not his fault.  It is not his fault that he’s going to be a bust.  Enter brainwashed “optimistic” Knicks fan: “But you don’t know he’ll be a bust!”  Oh yes I do!!  Listen, nothing would make me happier than to say I was wrong about this kid.  If he turns into the next Dirk Nowitzki in 5 years that would be the best thing that ever happened to the Knicks franchise.  However, I am going to stick with the statistics that tell me this kid won’t make it in the NBA.

A very small percentage of international players drafted in the NBA become good players.  The last international player drafted in the lottery to become an all-star is Yao Ming (Ming was drafted 1st overall in the 2002 NBA Draft).  There is only 1 Dirk Nowitzki for a reason.  On the other hand, there are too many busts to list here, but in the past 40 years, less than 10% of international players drafted were still on an NBA roster after only 5 years.  So, the media and knowledgeable basketball personnel can tell me how much potential Porzingis has until they’re blue in the face.  I don’t care.  The odds tell me he will not pan out, especially in today’s instant gratification generation.  Notable NBA General Managers have said Porzingis has tremendous upside, however, he may need 3 or 4 years to develop because he is a project.  Do you honestly believe in this day and age a player will be given 4 years to develop?  2015 is not 1975.  Hell it’s not even 2005.  No one has patience anymore.  I want my championship, and I want it now!!  The other problem with Porzingis is he needs to gain 40 or 50 pounds to even think about banging with the big boys down in the post.  Until he does that, big power forwards and centers will have their way with him around the basket.  The reason Porzingis has been successful playing internationally is because the level of physicality is nowhere near the same as the NBA.  Stretch 4’s grow on trees in international basketball (there is also only 1 Marc Gasol for a reason).  Oh, Porzingis, it is not your fault you’re going to be the next Darko Milicic, but by all means, prove me wrong.

As for the rest of the Knicks draft, I actually like the first trade Phil Jackson made.  Jackson traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks for Jerian Grant.  Grant is an athletic point guard who played at Notre Dame, and by all accounts seems NBA ready.  Hardaway Jr. is a decent young player, but he only knows how to do one thing; score.  Last time I checked the Knicks already have someone who does that.  Grant could become the smart, gritty point guard the Knicks have been looking for.  The Knicks apparently made another small splash later in the draft.  They traded 2 future 2nd-round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for a center out of Spain named Guillermo Hernangomez.  Hernangomez and Porzingis were actually teammates overseas, which can’t hurt.  Swinging on 2 international centers and missing can hurt though.  With all that being said, we should stay positive and hope for a bright future right?  Let’s Go Kni…….ah whatever.

What are your thoughts on the New York Knicks 2015 NBA Draft?  Are you as upset as I am, or do you have faith in Phil Jackson?

Post your thoughts in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!