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New York Knicks: Keeping Kristaps Porzingis happy

By Ed Easton Jr.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks hug after the game on October 19, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Sr./NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- OCTOBER 19: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks hug after the game on October 19, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Sr./NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The mission this season for the New York Knicks goes beyond wins and losses as they try to repair a sensitive relationship with star Kristaps Porzingis.

It’s no secret the relationship between the New York Knicks and star forward Kristaps Porzingis has been strained since last season’s disaster. The old regime led by former team president Phil Jackson caused a rift between Porzingis and team management, compromising the idea of a strong future.

Jackson’s continued disrespect towards Porzingis’ mentor and former teammate Carmelo Anthony was the topic of last season. This led to an unexpected skipping out of the annual player exit meeting with management before the start of summer. Jackson’s tenure with the Knicks ended abruptly after the draft in hopes of avoiding more conflicts with their prized young forward.

Porzingis spent most of the summer avoiding the Knicks organization completely by returning to his home country Latvia. He played in the FIBA tournament representing the country over the summer against the wishes of many in Knicks management, who preferred he rested before next season. After a bizarre tweeting error, Knicks fans remained on edge throughout the summer not knowing his true thoughts on the team’s future.

As Porzingis was refusing to explain his skipping of the exit interview, it was reported by another Latvian outlet that the 21-year-old planned on only playing for New York. It brought temporary calm until the latest worry was introduced unceremoniously by his brother Janis, who spoke on some troubling observations only seven games into the 2017-18 season.

In an interview with the Latvian outlet Sporta Avize, Janis spoke about his brother not being completely all in regarding the Knicks’ future plans. Here is his controversial statement featuring a reveal as to what led to the exit meeting no-show back in April, translated by Eurohoops in the New York Post.

"“From [the Knicks’] point of view, Kristaps is the focal point at the moment so you cannot upset him much or otherwise. At the end of the season, he will say, ‘It’s not so cool here.’ The second question is: Who is the New York audience coming to watch now? To a large extent, it’s Kristaps. So the organization has to take that into account. Melo and [the] people around him never tried to change anything,”“We had been thinking about it for a long time and it was considered an honest, well-thought decision we came up with together. … It’s interesting how many people who are even somehow involved in all of this, have criticized it afterward as something so unprofessional!”"

Porzingis is currently tearing things up in the early parts of the season, averaging a staggering 27.9 points per game to lead the team. He has shown comfort adjusting to becoming the main option after Anthony was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is showing the promise many Knicks fans have wished for and it would be ideal for the franchise to figure out a way to keep him motivated.

His brother Janis is doing the right thing in saying what Kristaps cannot say publicly and is only looking out for his best interest moving forward. General manager Scott Perry will need to work his magic and repair the trust issues within the Porzingis camp and try to picture a bright future for all those involved.

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