Sports

Walt Frazier endorses a troubling and tempting Knicks tank

Walt Frazier said the Knicks should become part of one of the NBA’s biggest problems.

Because Kristaps Porzingis is still rehabbing from a torn ACL and expected to miss at least a significant amount of next season, Frazier said the Knicks would be in a far better position to contend in the future if the soon-to-be 23-year-old star isn’t brought back at all this coming season.

“I was taking with the commissioner [Adam Silver], and one of the problems is teams not trying to win … but for the Knicks, it’s the prudent thing to do,” Frazier said, following a press conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. “Why risk your franchise player if he’s not ready?”

Frazier said it would be best to give Porzingis more time to recover from the serious injury, then have him return in time for the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, when he could be paired with another high draft pick. If the Knicks allow Porzingis to play this season, they could potentially pick up meaningless, late-season wins and fall further back in the draft lottery.





Porzingis’ timetable to return is uncertain, but the star forward isn’t expected to be available to play until around Christmas. By then, the Knicks are projected to be heading toward their sixth straight season without a playoff berth.

But if new coach David Fizdale crafts an early-season miracle without the team’s best player, the Knicks still could bring Porzingis back for the stretch run.

“The situation should dictate itself,” Frazier said. “If they’re not in the playoff [race], they’ll probably look to hold him out. If they got a chance, they’ll bring him back.”

Until Porzingis returns, rookie Kevin Knox will take the spotlight, hoping to build off a strong summer-league debut.

“I thought he looked pretty good,” Frazier said. “He’s got a good offensive repertoire. Almost like KP, he’s very precocious, said all the right things. He’s pretty impressive on and off the court.”





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