Schmeelk: Knicks Must Avoid Past Pitfalls, Pray Porzingis Stays Healthy
By John Schmeelk
» More Columns
After a back-and-forth first half on Monday against the 76ers, the Knicks took control of the game and looked like they were about to cruise to a home victory. That's when for some strange reason this team and its coach transformed into the 2014-15 version and it ended up taking two overtimes to beat one of the worst teams in basketball.
In fairness to the Sixers, they have been playing much better since hiring Mike D'Antoni and bringing in Ish Smith. But the Knicks lent a hand on Monday afternoon when they decided to jump in a DeLorean and play like they were the team that earned the second-worst record in the league last season.
It all started with Derek Fisher acting like the game was over in the second half and bringing in Sasha Vujacic, a move that harkened back to previous rotation issues.
The Knicks, who led by 18 points in the third quarter, allowed the Sixers to shoot 11-for-21 from the floor and score 33 points in the fourth -- with Jahlil Okafor on the bench. It would have been much, much worse had the Sixers not shot a dreadful 7-for-15 from the free-throw line.
Smith looked more like Kyrie Irving, scoring six points, dishing out four assists, getting two steals and finishing plus-16 in the quarter. He continually carved up the Knicks with a simple high screen and roll with Nerlens Noel.
The Knicks looked like they had never seen the play before, and were baffled trying to stop it. Jose Calderon was virtually stationary as he tried to stay in front of a much younger and quicker guard. For some reason Fisher decided to leave him in the game, despite younger, quicker and more athletic guards available on his bench.
After Kristaps Porzingis was forced to leave the game with an injury, the Knicks' offense devolved into a one-on-one-fest, with very little ball movement. They defended neither in the paint, nor the 3-point shot well. They even made low-IQ plays like fouling players attempting 3-point shots.
Luckily for the Knicks, their talent kept them in the game. Arron Afflalo hit some big shots, including a 3-pointer on a nice pass from Carmelo Anthony, who later hit a game-tying 3 despite being exhausted and playing on a tender ankle. Once overtime arrived, Fisher made a key adjustment and the team looked much more like its present-day version.
Once Fisher put Langston Galloway in for Calderon, the defense turned around and so did the game. The move should have happened midway through the fourth quarter, but better late than never. Afflalo and Lance Thomas made some nice plays going toward the basket and made their free throws. The Knicks and their coach looked like their new selves, and all was right with the world once again.
* * *
Before I write this small rant, I need to make a few things clear. I have zero medical training. Everyone on the Knicks' medical staff knows 1,000 times more about how to keep athletes healthy than I do. Their judgment is superior to mine in every way when it comes to medical matters. Speculating on injuries is dangerous and troublesome and should rarely be done.
That being said, I am really confused as to how the Knicks handled Porzingis' foot injury. After the 7-foot-3 rookie sensation went down in the fourth quarter, he sat on the bench and was never shown being examined by a trainer. It might have happened off-camera but it wasn't shown on MSG. He even checked back into the game for a play at the end of the fourth quarter before it was announced he was done for the duration of the game. After it was all over, Porzingis said the foot was bruised (I'm assuming it was black and blue), but no test was done on it.
NBA history is littered with big men that had their careers derailed by foot injuries. For whatever reason, they are particularly susceptible to them. For the Knicks' most important future piece to suffer a foot injury that was significant enough to keep him out of the overtime, yet not X-ray him, is confusing at best, baffling at worst.
The X-ray is the first test done after an injury to a bone, even if simply for precautionary reasons. It can be done at the arena and takes all of 10 minutes. It is as basic as it gets. Every NFL game is littered with players taken off to get pictures taken of various body parts.
I fractured a bone in my hand playing basketball a few years ago. What was the first symptom besides the pain? The hand became swollen and black and blue. I thought it was a bruise before an X-ray showed it was a non-displaced fracture.
There is literally no downside to the Knicks giving Porzingis an X-ray to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong. Porzingis said he felt OK after the game, and could have even kept playing, but there are reasons players aren't doctors. It is probable (and almost unfathomable if they didn't) Knicks medical personnel did a closer examination in the locker room and decided that it likely wasn't a fracture. But why not check using everything medical technology has to offer?
This would normally not even be a point of worry if it wasn't for the Knicks' issues with injuries in the past. Three years ago Rasheed Wallace had a sore foot (the same designation Porzingis has) and missed two months until it was announced that new X-rays showed a fracture, ending his season. The hope is that Porzingis' injury is far less serious, and odds are that he'll be fine given the Knicks' decision not to give him tests, but there has been much more mystery than necessary because the team chose not to do the X-ray.
Why? Only the Knicks' medical staff knows.
For everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports, follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk
