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Kristaps Porzingis suffers torn ACL

A post shared by Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) on Jan 30, 2018 at 1:38pm PST

The single worst thing that can happen to the Knicks this season has now happened. Young star Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a serious injury. Here’s New York Newsday reporting:

Kristaps Porzingis’ beautiful breakout season, the one that began with his setting a Knicks record by scoring 300 points in his first 10 games, ended in the most ugly of fashions with him rolling around underneath the basket and clutching his left knee.

MRI? It was more like MR-Cry. At least that’s how many Knicks fans felt Tuesday night after the team announced that that the test had shown that their star has a torn left ACL. Not only does that mean Porzingis is out for the season. He likely won’t be back for the start of next season if you go by the average time it takes to rehab such injuries. Former Knick Derrick Rose took 16 months to come back from his torn ACL, while Iman Shumpert took nine months.

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And here’s the New York Post:

“It’s deflating,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said, and that was before he knew of the awful diagnosis to come. “Very deflating.”

Porzingis was on the floor. He was pounding his fist when he wasn’t grabbing for his left knee. Earlier in the season, on the other end of the floor, Porzingis had nearly bent his ankle in half against the Heat, thrown a shivering scare into the Garden, missed a few games, admitted how scary it is to have your body betray you like that.

This was different. This wasn’t the ankle. This was the knee, twisting in a way it wasn’t intended to twist. The replay went up on the Garden board and the gasp was immediate and it was unambiguous. He struggled to his feet, hobbled off the floor.

Soon, he flashed a thumbs up as he walked out of the Garden, his leg wrapped in a knee stabilizer, bound for an MRI tube that would deliver the devastating news: torn anterior cruciate ligament. Out for the year. And who knows how much more after that.

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And another New York Post report:

The Knicks didn’t announce a timetable, but the 7-foot-3 Latvian will need surgery and is done for the season. His availability for training camp in late September is in doubt.

A review of torn ACLs in the NBA in recent years show absences that range from seven to 12 months.

The injury, which occurred after his dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo occurred 12 days before Porzingis was slated to make his first All-Star appearance, in Los Angeles for Team LeBron.

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Kristaps Porzingis ankle injury seems minor

Here’s NY Newsday with some good Knicks news:

After a disappointing trade deadline, Knicks fans got a little reprieve Friday afternoon when Kristaps Porzingis said doctors detected no structural damage to his sprained right ankle and that it’s possible he could play as soon as Monday.

“Feeling better,” he said. “There’s a lot of swelling, but I can walk around no problem and the swelling is going down, too.”

Asked about playing Monday, when the Knicks face the Raptors, he said he thought it was “a possibility.”

“Right now again, I don’t want to say anything that’s gonna get me in trouble,” Porzingis said. “I don’t want to say that I’ll play. But it all depends on them. If they see that I’m ready and I can go, then I’ll play, sure.”

Kristaps Porzingis wins 2017 Skills Challenge

The Knicks are amid the throes of losing, but all Kristaps Porzingis did during All-Star Weekend was win.

After scoring 24 points in the World Team’s victory Friday in the Rising Stars Challenge, the 7-foot-3 Porzingis captured the Skills Challenge on Saturday, knocking off Gordon Hayward in the finals.

It marked the second straight year a big man has won the skills, after Karl-Anthony Towns captured the 2016 crown.

Sitting with a big gold trophy in the interview room and asked about tasting victory after a 23-34 start, Porzingis, the man nicknamed “The Unicorn” by Kevin Durant, beamed.

“It feels good to win no matter what,” Porzingis said. “Even yesterday it felt good to get a win.’’

— NY Post

Unclear if Kristaps Porzingis will play again this season

The New York Knicks are 31-47 this season, and led in scoring by Carmelo Anthony (22.0 ppg) followed by rookie Kristaps Porzingis (14.3 ppg). While Melo should see action as the season wraps up, the big rook may or may not return to action. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

And in the 78th game, he rested — for the first time all season. But Carmelo Anthony said he would return for the final four Knicks games.

Or at least three of them.

Though Anthony is expected to play Wednesday against Charlotte at the Garden, rookie teammate Kristaps Porzingis remained “doubtful” for the game as he rehabs a right shoulder sprain. Interim coach Kurt Rambis reiterated that Porzingis, on whose 7-foot-3 frame so much of the Knicks’ future resides, must be completely healthy before he even sees the floor again.

“He’s doubtful for [Wednesday],” Rambis said of Porzingis who did not practice Tuesday after missing the three previous games. “He is improving and that’s about where it’s at.”

Kristaps Porzingis gets weight changes under control

The Knicks (22-24 through Sunday’s games) are getting 14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.96 blocks per game from talented 7’3″ rookie Kristaps Porzingis. Here’s the New York Post reporting on his weight fluctuations:

Kristaps Porzingis realized he would shrink to nothing if he didn’t take the Knicks’ new dietitian’s advice and inhale a grand-style breakfast.

While the rail-thin Knicks 7-foot-3 rookie added 11 pounds from the end of July’s summer league to the start of training camp, Porzingis started to gradually drop weight as the regular season rolled on and his minutes increased.

After going from 227 to 238 pounds over the summer, Porzingis dropped to 233 by December.

“Now I’m maintaining it,’’ Porzingis told The Post on Saturday. “I lost a little bit at the beginning of the season. It was hard to maintain that, but I’ve been staying at the same weight and I got to maintain this weight for sure. Once the season is over, I’ll try to get up to 245 pounds for next season.’’

Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns named NBA Rookies of Month for December, 2015

New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.

This is the second consecutive NBA Rookie of the Month award for Porzingis, who ranked second among East rookies in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg) and first among all rookies in blocked shots (2.20 bpg). Porzingis posted four point-rebound double-doubles and blocked three or more shots in six games. He also shot 36.6 percent (15-of-41) from three-point range for the month. During a 91-84 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 23, Porzingis made 4-of-5 from three-point range en route to 23 points and added 13 rebounds and four assists.

Towns, who also earns his second straight NBA Rookie of the Month award, led all first-year players in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg) and ranked second in blocks (1.56 bpg). He recorded eight point-rebound double-doubles in December and produced eight games with at least 20 points. Towns shot 55.3 percent from the field for the month and made at least half his shots in 14 of 16 games. During a 123-122 overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 9, Towns posted 26 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Charlotte’s Frank Kaminsky, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell, Miami’s Justise Winslow and Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor.

Various Nets impressed by Kristaps Porzingis

New York Knicks rookie power forward Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this season, and is improving regularly. He has the attention of the league, and certainly players right nearby on the Nets. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Various Nets compliment Kristaps Porzingis

While Kristaps Porzingis was busy throwing shade at Brooklyn — saying the Knicks had the better fans — the Nets were throwing bouquets at him. And with the rivals set to face off Friday in the Garden, Nets point guard Jarrett Jack tapped the 20-year-old big man as the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

“Clearly, I think he’s the clear case for Rookie of the Year right now. I would believe so, with all the naysayers in the beginning, and then him coming out and just playing hard,’’ Jack said. “Sure, he has some skills to go with it, but from what I’ve seen, he puts himself in position to get tip-dunks. I’ve seen him in situations where he’s gotten steals on the break, making plays.” …

“I’ve been watching him. He’s very, very good,’’ said power forward Thaddeus Young, who will start matched up vs. Porzingis.