Kristaps Porzingis on Knicks’ drama: ‘Past is the past’

Now that Carmelo Anthony is a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder (weird typing that), there is very little reason to believe that the New York Knicks are not Kristaps Porzingis’ team.

That was made clear by the team after Phil Jackson left his role as president. Once Scott Perry took over as the Knicks’ general manager, this was taken to a whole new level. No longer was Porzingis on the trade block. And the drama that led to him skipping last season’s exit interview seemed to be in the rear-view mirror.

Now, it looks like the 22-year-old Porzingis is also ready to start anew with a clean slate.

That’s a refreshing and mature stance for Porzingis to take here. He’s going to be the face of the franchise in the United States’ largest media market. Needless to say, the youngster’s career is on an upward trajectory. He’s also coming off a 2016-17 campaign that saw him average 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

As it relates to Anthony and the recent trade to Oklahoma City, Porzingis noted that he had been on contact with his now ex-teammate throughout the summer. He knows full well that the entire rift between Carmelo and the Knicks was purely business.

The Knicks are in no way ready to compete this season. But it will be interesting to see how Porzingis progresses now that he’s clearly the No. 1 guy.