Porzingis was panned by the Knicks for skipping an exit meeting and missing over 100 games due to injuryNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Knicks may be positioning themselves to land two max free agents this summer, but they "look like a petty organization" after taking shots at F Kristaps Porzingis during a recent game just days after trading him to the Mavericks, according to NBA TV's Leigh Ellis. A graphic that ran on the team's in-house TV network during Sunday's Grizzlies-Knicks game noted Porzingis skipped an exit meeting following the '16-17 season and that he "played 186 of his possible 296 career games with New York" due to injury. Ellis said the Knicks are taking "cheap snipes" at Porzingis, which they "did not need to do." They are "making themselves look bad." NBA TV's Tas Melas: "This is news to every other free agent in the league that the Knicks remain the Knicks." The team "picked this narrative to make it look like they made a good move." Free agents "see this kind of stuff, (and) they understand that the organization remains" the same one that Porzingis did not like. Melas: "Just take the high road." Ellis asked, "How does that in any way reflect well on the organization?" ("The Starters," NBA TV, 2/4). ESPN's Rachel Nichols said, "If you are potentially trying to get big free agents this summer, do you really want other players to see you being that snarky to a guy on the way out?" ("The Jump," ESPN, 2/4). ESPN's Amin Elhassan said the graphic was the "same old business" with the Knicks ("OTL," ESPN, 2/4). The N.Y. Daily News’ Bob Raissman said, “This is typical Knicks stuff.” SNY's Maria Marino said the Knicks have to “fix this reputation” they have. Marino: "You ultimately need free agents to come here to have any shot at being competitive anytime soon” (“Daily News Live,” SNY, 2/4).
