Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis showed his undying loyalty to Carmelo Anthony, emphasizing that he needs him.
When Kristaps Porzingis exploded onto the scene in his rookie season, many believed that the Porzingis era and the Carmelo Anthony era would not overlap. Not only is Anthony’s contract massively bloated, but he has shown visible signs of frustration over the past few seasons as the Knicks continue to lose. Add LeBron’s “super team” that includes Anthony to the mix, and keeping him around is nothing but a distraction.
But when talking to the New York Daily News, Porzingis displayed his loyalty to Anthony, and expressed how important he is as a mentor.
"Obviously I want him to stay here. We need him. I need him. And we don’t want to lose him.I need him, No. 1, to learn from him. And to win. We need him to win. Without him it would be much more difficult. Him leaving would be tough but I’m not worried about that, I don’t think it’s going that way. He’s been loyal. I think he loves New York. And that’s the most important thing."
Carmelo has only missed eight games this season, but the Knicks have lost all eight of them. And for as good as Porzingis has been so far – according to Bleacher Report, he’s been historically good – he is a +66 when sharing the floor with Carmelo which obviously means he plays a big part in his productivity.
The Knicks are one loss away from missing the playoffs yet again, and that could see Anthony get shut down for the rest of the year. For now, he has quelled rumors about waiving his no-trade clause but talks should heat up again in the offseason. For Porzingis, he’s at least hoping that these comments can help persuade James Dolan and co to keep him around for a little while longer.
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