NBA

Kristaps Porzingis Suffers a Torn ACL

Jaclyn MarrLeave a comment

Kristaps Porzingis landed awkwardly after a dunk in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Bucks. He immediately clutched onto his left leg in pain, leaving Knicks‘ fans fearing the worst as they watched him being helped off the court.

After the game, the Knicks broke the news that their star forward had suffered a torn ACL.

The injury

Just three minutes into the second quarter, Porzingis landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot after his dunk. It looked like his ankle buckled as he landed on his left leg.

He was in obvious pain as he grabbed his knee. Teammates helped him walk off the court without having to put much weight on the leg.

He was able to walk on his own and was described as “okay” as he headed to the hospital to get an MRI, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. Begley reported at the time that head coach Jeff Hornaceck didn’t want to speculate on the injury but called it “deflating.”

“More than a basketball player, he’s my brother,” Knicks’ center Enes Kanter said to ESPN after the game. “I don’t want to see anyone going down like that hurting his knee. He’s about to be an All-Star. I’m just going to pray for him tonight. He is the most important part of our family.”

Porzingis had 11 30-point games this season, compared to three 30-point games in his first two seasons. He was averaging 22.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and a league-high 2.4 blocks per game.

The 7-foot-3 star had just been chosen for his first All-Star game.

What’s next?

After the loss to the Bucks, the Knicks stand at 23-32 and three spots out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They were holding onto hope to make a playoff run but without Porzingis, things aren’t looking good.

It’s an awful end to a season of great potential for the Latvian star. He has become the new face of the franchise and has the talent to lead the team back to the playoffs.

Shams Charania of The Vertical reported soon after the news broke that Porzingis was scheduling the surgery to repair the torn ligament.

The recovery after an ACL tear could be anywhere from eight months to at least a year, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported.

Milwaukee’s Jabari Parker just returned last Friday after missing 11 months. He had a second ACL surgery on the same knee.

“He can come back from it and he’ll be the same player again,” Parker said to The News following the Bucks’ 103-89 victory Tuesday. “He can do it.”

In the meantime, the Knicks need someone to step up for the remainder of the season. They were up by one point before losing Porzingis in the second. About halfway through the third quarter, they were down by 20.

Here’s to a speedy recovery, Porzingis.

This article originally appeared on Blasting News.

NBA Trade Deadline Passes, Melo and Rose Remain in New York

Jaclyn MarrLeave a comment

Like it or not Knicks fans, the team didn’t make any moves before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, which means Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose will still be wearing orange and blue.

While there were significantly more trade rumors surrounding Anthony for about six weeks, one rumor involving Rose was ignited in the final days before the deadline. Moving Rose would have been more likely considering how he’s played so far in his first season in New York.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reached out to the Knicks and expressed interest in acquiring Rose in exchange for their starting point guard Ricky Rubio.

However, the trade reportedly fell through at the last minute when the Knicks tried to gain a second piece in addition to Rubio. By the time they withdrew their request for another player, the 3pm deadline had passed.

“The sense I’ve gotten from talking to other teams who’ve talked to New York is they feel like the Knicks would almost give away [Rose] right now,” Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical said Wednesday.

Rose is averaging 17.7 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. He’s shooting 24% from deep and 4.5 assists and four rebounds. Defensively, he’s ranked fifth-worst in DRPM among 89 point guards.

On the other hand, Rubio is a playmaker that would have made a great difference in the Knicks’ lineup. Averaging eight assists and just two turnovers all season, he would have been beneficial to Kristaps Porzingis’ development.

While these players remain on their respective teams for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what the offseason brings.

 

 

 

Timberwolves Show Interest in Trading for Derrick Rose

Jaclyn MarrLeave a comment

With the NBA trade deadline coming Feb. 23, teams are racing to make final decisions.

While I don’t think we’ll see another move as crazy as the one between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, interesting rumors have been circling around New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For those who don’t know, the Kings traded Cousins, their star player, and Omri Casspi to New Orleans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and the Pelicans’ 2017 first- and second-round picks in what people are calling one of the worst trades in NBA history.

 

Teams have their fair share of trade talks. New York Knicks fans know just how tiring it can be to hear non-stop trade rumors and scenarios.

Rumors have been swirling around Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks for weeks, but things have since calmed down and it doesn’t seem like Anthony will be leaving New York. His teammate, however, was just named in new trade rumors.

Derrick Rose, in his first season with the Knicks, is already sparking trade talks from various teams. The one that seems the most likely is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ian Begley of ESPN reported that the Timberwolves have reached out to the Knicks to discuss possible trades for Rose.

What makes Minnesota stand out from the other teams is that Rose played for Timberwolves president/coach Tom Thibodeau during his time with the Chicago Bulls.

While this is all just trade talks, it’ll be interesting to see what comes about.

 

Charles Oakley Banned From MSG

Jaclyn MarrLeave a comment

The craziness surrounding the Knicks organization continues following Charles Oakley’s outburst at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

It was reported Friday that the Knicks legend was banned from MSG after being ejected during Wednesday’s game and then arrested soon after.

Team owner James Dolan called for Oakley’s ban. During an interview on the Michael Kay Show on Friday, Dolan was quick to make accusations and showed no support for the former player.

“He has a problem with anger,” Dolan said. “He’s both physically and verbally abusive. He may have a problem with alcohol. We don’t know. But those behaviors of being physically and verbally abusive, those are personality problems.”

The team had released two statements following the incident but they were just to throw Oakley under the bus. The organization seemed to jump to conclusions without getting the former player’s point of view.

Oakley said afterward that he had “a couple drinks” but before entering the Garden.

When asked if the Knicks should be embarrassed for what has happened in the last 48 hours, Dolan responded: “I would say that Charles should be embarrassed.”

For the sake of the team and its reputation, let’s hope that this all gets resolved soon.