Knicks say goodbye to John Longstaff, beloved assistant coach of Kristaps Porzingis
By Trey Daubert
The New York Knicks have parted ways with long-time assistant Josh Longstaff. The team has decided not to renew his contract.
The Knicks relationship with Kristaps Porzingis may have taken another turn for the worse. After Kristaps skipped the Knicks exit meeting, the organization has been trying to get Porzingis to buy back into whatever the Knicks are selling. Janis Porzingis, the agent and brother of Kristaps, met with Phil Jackson a couple days ago in an attempt to bury the turmoil between the two parties and accomplished nothing. The most recent news likely to upset Porzingis is the team’s decision to not bring back Josh Longstaff.
The New York Daily News had the story on Knicks decision. An anonymous player that spoke with the Daily News spoke highly of Longstaff:
"“The reasons for cutting ties with Longstaff are unclear, but a member of the organization called him the hardest worker on the staff. It’s worth noting the Knicks are moving forward with a heavy focus on the triangle at all levels of the organization, including Longstaff’s former role in player development.”"
Porzingis had a very close relationship with the former assistant coach. Longstaff was one of the original members of the Derek Fisher tenure. He even went out of his way to train with Porzingis during the previous offseason in Latvia. Porzingis deeply admires Longstaff and, as a sign of respect, wanted his coach to serve on the Latvian National Team.
It’s fair to say that New York is dysfunctional beyond repair at this point. The Knicks are trying to mold their team around the triangle offense as much as possible. Phil Jackson even told Porzingis not to shoot 3s because it’s “a cheap way to score.” Don’t you want free points, Phil?
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While the team’s relationship with Porzingis may be reparable, Knicks fans should still be concerned. Trading the young superstar may not be entirely out of the question if things continue along this path. Porzingis, 21, is considered a franchise cornerstone that any team would be lucky to have.