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Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 14:19
Knicks say more clarity on when Porzingis could return to action could be known in the near future
Kristaps Porzingis is back in New York, arriving from Latvia
on Sunday, and ready to undergo further testing this week to give Knicks
management a clearer picture on when he might make his season debut, accrodgin to the New
York Post reports LETA.
Porzingis left for Europe in mid-April to continue his rehab
from knee surgery, and team president Steve Mills had said the franchise would
know more about his timetable in September — at the seventh-month mark.
During a “town hall” forum with select Knicks season-ticket
holders Monday night, Mills was asked by a fan whether it’s better if Porzingis
sits out the season rather than return on Christmas Day — which the fan claimed
was the league’s prediction. The Knicks were put on the holiday national TV
schedule against the Bucks — the club against which he was injured.
“Our goal is to not to do anything that jeopardizes KP’s
future as being one of the foundational pieces of this team,” Mills said Monday
before several hundred fans. “He’s back. We’ll have some medical evaluations
this week and we’ll start to develop what the right plan is for him to come
back. But we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize the future of the
franchise. We’re going to stay true to that.’’
Mills may know more by Thursday when he holds a press
conference in advance of the Knicks beginning training camp Monday. The season
opener is October 17 against Atlanta.
While new coach David Fizdale and members of the training
staff visited Porzingis in Latvia, Mills did not, though he said he had several
“phone conversations and texts.”
“KP is engaged — we’re in a good place with him,” Mills said
of his formerly disgruntled star.
Porzingis rehabbed much of the summer with Real Madrid
instead of staying in New York to work at the Hospital of Special Surgery. He
is not expected to get his rookie contract extended as the Knicks look to
preserve cap space for 2019, when they can re-sign him and go over the cap per
NBA rules.
Fizdale rehashed his trip to Latvia in late July, saying
Porzingis had “an engaging personality.”
“I felt I knew him already,” Fizdale said. “I had my offense
and defense ready to show him, but we didn’t watch one speck of film.”