The New York Knicks suffered a crushing blow to their season as they battle for a chance to make the playoffs in the Kristaps Porzingis era. It turns out the first season with the unicorn as the Knicks face of the franchise will be cut short. Just two days prior to the trade deadline, Porzingis suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.
The Knicks were the first to report the news:
Medical Update: An MRI confirmed that Kristaps Porzingis tore the ACL in his left knee.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 7, 2018
Porzingis had a sketchy start to his season after he was rumored in trade talks. Phil Jackson put the 7-foot-3 unicorn on the trade block but ownership decided to part from Jackson before he made a bad mistake. It turned out they made the right call as Porzingis was having a breakout season. Porzingis left the game early against the Bucks Tuesday night sitting four games out of the 8th seed.
It’s unclear what the timetable could look like but the Latvian big man could be out up to 12 months with the knee injuries. Considering his abnormal size, the Knicks will likely be careful bringing him back when the time is right next season.
Porzingis, 22, is averaging 22.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He also was shooting the ball really well from the perimeter knocking down almost 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. Porzingis was also the best rim protector in the NBA leading the league in blocks (2.4).
The Knicks were one team looking to buy in an attempt to make the playoffs. That will likely change with their star player now out. New York could be a team looking to sell on short team assets that include a player like Kyle O’Quinn. Willy Hernangomez is another player who requested a trade a may also be on the move.
