[DolanCareParticipant]

From my crappy Burmese internet connection, I make sure to stream every Knicks game…My hometown team. Naturally, the pixelated pale two-way giant on my screen generates most of my 6am giddiness. I can’t believe how good Porzingis is in his second season, and despite all the speculation, he’s hands down our most valuable player. 

Not gonna lie though, I have trouble falling back to sleep after watching these games. My concern: Porzingis’s health. There has been no indication that his body is hurting, yet I’m still anxious… might be the New Yorker in me, or is it justified….

Krisptas is averaging 37.2 minutes over the past 10 games. That’s 0.2 minutes less than Russell Westbrook over the same time span. 

Phil Jackson promised to bring him along slowly, make sure his body was ready for NBA rigors. I know KP’s conditioning has proved to be better than initially thought, but isn’t this irresponsible? At 7’3 feet, aren’t  knees, feet and back a major concern even if he was averaging only 30 minutes a game? 

My question: Should the Knicks start monitoring KP’s minutes more, even if it results in less wins?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WetalkinboutpracticeParticipant]

 As a fellow suffering Knicks fan, absolutely there should be some pause for concern. I get the want to pile up as many wins as possible in an attempt to make the playoffs after 2 consecutive losing seasons. But even if you manage to squeeze into final 8 New York is no contender to make it to the ECF let alone escape the east. With that in mind the primary goal of this season (& probably the next 2 seasons) should be the cautious development of the young Latvian.

[Hype Machine]

I didnt notice those mpgs, but it’s at least 7mins too many.

The NBA is crazy for playing 82 games. 

Historians dont want to change the number cos it ****s up the stats, but its absurd. No other basketball league in the world comes even close to that. If you watch international leagues, theres lots of savvy, old, unathletic vets that are still playing because they’ve only played 30 – 40 games a year. NBA players start with better athleticism, but it declines quicker than it should due to 2500+ Mins per season.

Maybe 82 games is the sweet spot from a financial perspective (which I find hard to believe), but 82 games at 37mpg is like adding 2 seasons onto the clock for Porzingis.

[WetalkinboutpracticeParticipant]

 I don’t think 82 games is too many. However I do believe the league should explore shortening the preseason & starting the regular season a few weeks earlier in an attempt to elimate the back to backs, the 3 games in 4 nights & the 4 games in 5 nights scenarios. That’s where the wear & tear is most telling & where players are most prone to injury. I’m unaware of the logistics & financial implications behind a such drastic change though.

[HitsterParticipant]

The Knicks still lack bench depth so rely heavily on their starting 5 and having Porz on court really helps them to spread the play. Ideally he’d be playing under 35mpg but the Knicks want to be as strong as possible with the current team. Melo is now 32, D-Rose is an FA next summer so they also want to stay relevant at the same time.

I’m not sure how many minutes Porz is playing compared to other young bigs.

[HitsterParticipant]

 The shortening of the pre-season would be quite useful to give the regular season a longer running time. Is the start of pre-season officially fixed via the CBA as teams could report back a week or so earlier, trim a couple of games off pre-season and you have a couple of weeks extra to run the regular season. 

[Author]

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