David Fizdale: No contact yet for Kristaps Porzingis

ORLANDO — The Knicks now return home after a three-game road trip and will have a chance to reunite with Kristaps Porzingis. But despite Porzingis’ statement to GQ.com that he is closing in on a return, they don’t expect him on the floor anytime soon.

Porzingis told the website, “I’m already doing some contact drills, and things where I’m competing against somebody. It’s good that it’s coming to an end.”

Knicks coach David Fizdale, however, said he hasn’t seen anything hinting that he’ll be doing contact with the team in practice.

“I don’t think so, no. I don’t think it’s at that place,” he said. “At some point I would think. I know he’s feeling better, obviously his progress. We’re all excited about every step he takes forward. The trainers are keeping me in the loop as much as possible while letting me focus at the same time so I don’t get my hopes up for ’Taps too soon.

“But hopefully the sooner the better. We’re still going to stay with the idea that until it feels 100 percent to he and I, to he and the Knicks, that we’re not going to put him in jeopardy to get hurt again. We want to do it the right way by him and also the best thing for our team.”

Fizdale said if there have been contact drills, it has been “just in the rehab sessions, the treatment sessions. But not with us. He’s not here with us, not yet, no, no, no. Just with our trainers and the people that’s rehabbing him and starting to push on him.”

Asked if he could begin to participate in practice soon, Fizdale added, “Nothing that I’ve heard that would give me the indication that he’s back that soon.”

Hezonja ill, doesn’t play

Mario Hezonja had expressed concerns about his role on the Knicks and had hoped to be back in the rotation as he returned to the city where he spent the first three years of his career. Before the game, however, Fizdale said Hezonja either had come down with food poisoning or a stomach ailment and was throwing up. He was on the bench in warmups but was unavailable.

Fizdale said he has high hopes that Hezonja will find his place with the team.

“The thing that I’ve been harping on is decision-making, being a guy that we can rely on to make sound decisions,” Fizdale said. “Because he’s so talented, he’s got so many different things that he’s good at, he tries a lot of stuff. I’m just getting him to a place where I can rely on the decision that he’s going to make.”