Kristaps Porzingis not neglecting his shooting touch
Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks looks on before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2018 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Kristaps Porzingis is a long way from participating in basketball activities or playing again, but a picture has circulated of him shooting.
The photo was of Porzingis, who tore his left ACL last month, standing and shooting from beyond the foul line in a gym in his Manhattan apartment.
“I don’t know what he’s allowed to do from the doctors,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Once you have a surgery like that, you want to get out there, you want to shoot. I’m sure he’s being smart about that stuff. If you’re just standing there shooting, that’s not going to have any effect.
“As far as I know, there’s no basketball things he’s involved with.”
Porzingis was at Madison Square Garden last week and walked without crutches or a limp. Neither he nor the Knicks has put a timetable on his return.
Empathizing with Lue
Hornacek felt bad that Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is stepping away from coaching to focus on his health, but he understood. Lue said he’s been experiencing “chest pains and other troubling symptoms,” including a lack of sleep.
“Now you guys understand what coaches have to go through,” Hornacek said. “I think [Charlotte coach] Steve Clifford had it earlier in the season. Now Tyronn is going through it. It’s tough, it’s a stressful job. And it’s hard because all the coaches work extremely long hours.
“There’s always a game to watch, always another film to watch. You want to be as best prepared as you can and sometimes you fail to realize what your health is doing with lack of sleep and stuff like that. They’re in the playoffs, so hopefully he gets back for that.”
Fast breaks
Courtney Lee returned to the team after missing Saturday’s game to attend a funeral. Lance Thomas was not with the Knicks on Monday because of a family matter . . . Hornacek was asked about Joakim Noah’s status with the Knicks and how the matter will resolve itself: “I’m not sure,” he said. “In the summer, Scott [Perry, the general manager] and Steve [Mills, the team president] will be talking with him. I guess that’s how it will get resolved.” Noah has been away from the Knicks since getting into a heated exchange with Hornacek in January and won’t be back this season. If the Knicks can’t trade him, they’ll likely stretch his contract and waive him on Sept. 1 to minimize how much they have to pay him in 2019, when they hope to be spenders in free agency.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
