Now that I have calmed down a bit and read some more about this pick, I am trying to salvage some optimism. Here are some "read bytes" from an article in Newsday:
Quote:
Some league executives and scouts believe Porzingis, 19, has the potential to be the best player from this draft.
Porzingis has played in Spain since 2012. He’s long and lean, is a good shooter and can defend inside and on the perimeter.
Porzingis has drawn comparisons with NBA All-Stars Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki. Jackson likened him to Gasol, who was a skinny kid out of Spain.
Knicks fans, however, are concerned that Porzingis could be another Frederic Weis. Porzingis called it “my dream” to play for the Knicks and wants to show he’s not Weis. “For those people who don’t know me, they may think I’m a soft European,” Porzingis said on ESPN. “There have been busts before, but I’m different. I really love the game. I’m very hungry. It’s my passion about my game that sets me apart.”
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All good things, if true. As I was reading this, however, two phrases came to mind: "Really!" [skeptical meaning] and "You have a long way to go, bub."
The article mentioned these three players whose names I am recording here for future reference. They are ones that the Knicks passed up when they drafted Porzingis. They will be the benchmarks against whom Porzingis will be compared by me and even if only ONE of them becomes a star, while Porzingis fades away over time, then this will go down as yet another blunder by Knicks management over recent years. [It's as if you can be a genius elsewhere but when you join Madison Square Garden, you become a moron as a job requirement.]
The three players are point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, swingman Justise Winslow and center Willie Cauley-Stein. That last guy is the one that is going to haunt me over the years, I think.
