We all have those moments as a child where we’re told not to touch the scalding-hot stove top by our parents. Yet, for some reason, there is always this ridiculous urge to touch it anyway.
For some reason, Phil Jackson looks like he wants to touch the stove top while New York Knicks fans are screaming, even pleading, for him not to.
On Tuesday, the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that New York’s president “isn’t ruling out” trading Kristaps Porzingis, the unicorn that is supposed to be the face of the franchise for at least the next decade. Apparently, other teams smell blood in the water as a “frenzy of interest is growing.”
Apparently, Jackson even has his replacement if he were to deal him. Wojnarowski added that Jackson met with Arizona draft prospect Lauri Markkanen, who is a player Jackson would “consider” selecting with the No. 8 pick if the Knicks do the unthinkable and trade Porzingis.
It’s common knowledge that the two have a strained relationship after Porzingis ditched his end-of-season meetings with Jackson and other members of Knicks management. With not much headway made in resolving the issue after more than two months, the Knicks are on the brink of utter disaster.
There is no doubt that Porzingis would bring in a major haul if he were to be dealt and Markkanen has drawn comparisons to Porzingis given his range and athleticism within such a large frame. But there is a reason why Porzingis is called a unicorn; they are not that common.
For a snakebitten organization that really hasn’t done anything right over the past 16 years, Porzingis has become the shining light of hope. Even when he was taken fourth overall in 2015, he was met with harsh criticism and disbelief by Knicks fans.
Could you imagine New Yorkers having to go through that all over again with a player who probably won’t be as successful as Porzingis? I’m not saying Markkanen can’t be a star, but you just can’t put those kinds of expectations on a 20-year-old kid in one of the largest, most-starved basketball markets in the league.
If Jackson really is this incompetent and decides to trade Porzingis, he should probably slip his running shoes on because I’m guessing a mob of irate Knicks fans will be headed his way.
