Carmelo Anthony waived his no-trade clause to go to the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaving Kristaps Porzingis as the face of the New York Knicks franchise. That said, the young Latvian player now has a bigger responsibility that needs the support of an excellent roster. Nevertheless, his fearless acceptance of the responsibility put the Knicks in a better position to improve its roster.
Kristaps Porzingis on the New York Knicks
According to Yahoo! Sports, Anthony's departure, and Porzingis taking the reign are good for the Knicks' franchise in their quest to rebuild a stronger team this coming season.
The latter said he's ready to take on the job despite knowing that any mistake could cost him more than he ever tried to contribute to the team.
Speaking to ESPN's Ian Begley, Porzingis said: "It’s something that I wanted one day, to be like that. I just kept working towards it, kept getting better. And I’m going to keep … growing as a player and hopefully year by year we can grow as a team also." Porzingis also added, that while he sees similarities with this season when compared to last year, he is also aware of the difficulties that come with new responsibilities.
Porzingis, Nowitzki, and their NBA aspirations
Porzingis, on the other hand, can take this new responsibility the way Dirk Nowitzki handled his reign with the Dallas Mavericks.
Through the years, Nowitzki worked on developing his shooting skills that eventually brought the franchise to two championship contention. The Mavericks finally won the championship in 2011 against the Miami Heat. As a face of the franchise, Dirk was lauded by many for his unselfish contribution to the team.
For the last six years, Nowitzki consistently took a discount in order to bring more talent to the Dallas Mavericks franchise.
According to the Business Insider, Nowitzki has since let go of a total of $194 million since taking the discounts. ESPN, on the other hand, reported that Nowitzki has agreed to a two-year $10 million contract with the Mavericks.
The New York Knicks is giving Kristaps all the opportunities to handle the team and make it prosper.
But more than anything, his perimeter to get all the help in honing his talent is becoming more secure. So what is his major plan for the team? "I’ve just got to be strong mentally here in New York and it will be fine," he said.
The Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis as their fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
