New York Knicks: Will It Be Enes Kanter Over Kristaps Porzingis?
What made Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley so beloved in New York went far beyond the points or rebounds they collected each night. New York is still a tough city built on pride, wit, grunt, and hustle. The New York Knicks are no different. At least they have tried to maintain that over the years. When Ewing left, it seems he took a part of the city with him. Over the years, the Knicks have been more finesse and not what the city has stood for. But lately, Enes Kanter has brought that nasty and feisty approach back to Madison Square Garden that’s been missing for some time.
Ask around and the consensus will be that Kristaps Porzingis is the face of the Knicks. While Porzingis has potential, he’s missing that element that makes Knicks’ basketball so special in the first place. And to be fair to Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony didn’t have it either. Not to blame the consistent losing on it, but in order to rebuild, the Knicks must put their money behind someone the city is behind.
The issue with the Knicks is that they had too many bigs and not enough minutes to spread around. What hurt Jeff Hornacek was his unwillingness to run the offense through the post and increase Kanter’s minutes and shots. When Porzingis went down, Kanter’s minutes have shot up to 30 per. However, he’s still only attempted 10 shots per game. With those numbers, would it be wise for the Knicks to offer Kanter a max deal?
Is Kanter Worth A Max Deal This Summer For The New York Knicks?
With that said, the Knicks must also deal with the Kristaps Porzingis issue. According to some reports, James Dolan is not sure if he will be ready for the upcoming 2018 season. If that’s true, then the Knicks will need the scoring of Kanter in the paint. What bodes well for the team and Kanter is that the Knicks have a new coach in David Fizdale who spent time with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Fizdale teaches basketball from on old-school approach where his bigs will see the ball in the post more with shooters surrounding them. But will Porzingis be a part of that process?
If Porzings misses an extended amount of time, then the Knicks must worry about where they stand if/when he returns. Porzingis is set to become a free agent in 2019 and any missed time could easily result in the Knicks giving up on him or vice versa. This is why signing Kanter is such a big deal.
There’s no way the New York Knicks can expect to become contenders by hitching their wagon to the likes of Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway. There needs to be someone who can not only take the weight but accept that role. It remains to be seen of Porzingis is that guy but in his one season with the Knicks, Enes Kanter has proven he’s willing to give it a try.
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
