All In On Porzingis

Okay, I am officially throwing this out there - I am a big fan of Kristaps Porzingis. Huuuuge fan.

I'm not sure what it is, but Porzingis, thus far, seems like exactly the type of guy New York Knicks fans deserve after years of suffering. And to be quite frank, I'm just a fan of everything that is Porzinigis. I'm all about his potential. I'm all about his personality. I'm all about him embracing and wanting to play and win in this wonderful city of New York.

Was it love at first sight? Possibly. On draft night when the typical "look-at-me-clowns" booed and jeered him, Porzingis handled it perfectly. Acknowledging that he will turn all of the criticism into applause. I loved how silly it all was.

Especially, the evidence of how quick we are to proclaim an athlete a bust. Or the stupid stereotypes we have for European ballers. He's either Dirk Nowitzki or Andrea Bargnani. And of course, the typical American-bias used when we assume guys we've seen play in college basketball are automatically better than talent overseas. I was just drawn to the entire underdog concept of our pick. It pulled me in and made me root for this kid even more.

And yes, part of that is from the sheer fandom desperation of needing this pick to work out.

[Side Note: I hope the guy that booed him just to get on television that night is forever brought up if Porzingis becomes an All-Star player. I'll forgive the kid who "fake cried". We all do stupid things as kids, especially when led by clowns.]

"I have no idea why I am booing!"

Of course, there were the talking heads like Stephen A. Smith who went all out in his typical, overblown, hyperbole rant and overreaction to the pick. By the way, Smith is now backtracking on his statements, claiming his issue is with Phil Jackson's bid to rebuild, and not to win now. Yeeeeeah, whatever Stephen A. Whatvevs, dude.

Also, there was that awesome Latvian rap video that is oh so worthy of watching. Krisssssstaps Porzingis! The likeness meter on this kid just continued to soar after this. Come on, how many people have Latvian rap songs made about them? And with a sick beat, nonetheless!

And of course, and most importantly, now the big fella is playing in real games against legit NBA talent and thus far, barring any catastrophic injury, looks like he can be something very special as he develops and matures.

Underdog. Poise. Potential. Rap videos. Whatever it is, I am throwing my endorsement onto the big fella. It's been a long time since I had a favorite New York Knick. He's now it.

I'm all in. Krisssssssstaps. Porzingis!

Recently Read Posts

A Product of Us: Thoughts on Durant Trade

I said back in July when Kevin Durant rocked the NBA world with his trade request, that he "showed us who he was". It wasn't a negative comment, but one that encompasses his entire career being a product of our current sport climate - success and focus on legacy. We emphasize the value of a career on rings, and thus, Durant has too. Why wouldn't he?! Upon waking up and realizing that Durant will don the purple and orange for the Phoenix Suns in what is clearly now a team to watch come the NBA Playoffs, I find myself further pondering if Kevin Durant is the prime result of what we - yes, us! - have done to the modern athlete. Today, Durant is one of the greatest basketball players I've ever seen. EVER. The dude is rare. He's a seven-foot magician which makes defending him even more difficult based on how damn efficient he is on the basketball court. It's downright poetic and beautiful to watch Durant play. And yes, I'm romanticizing his game. I belie

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 3/19/23

3 Up 1. Migrant Help - So much is facing our nation right now. The Migrant crisis is one of them. For me - and again, just me - as I know how easy narratives are to roll right into personal politics these days, you rarely hear about solutions. It wasn't a huge story this week, but it definitely impacted me. We need more of this. 2. College Athletics - From March Madness and so many upsets along with the new landscape of college athletics taking shape, to the NCAA Wrestling Championships - this week was fun. Shout out to Caitlyn Clark who continues to be awesome. Farleigh Dickinson making history. And Matt Ramos gave us the biggest shock of the year - pinning 3-time National Champion, Spencer Lee. 3. World Baseball Classic - People seriously think "no one cares about this tournament". Like, really? The WBC alone is awesome. At the very core of it, I'd take this over Spring Training any year. 3 Down 1. Big Tech Layoffs - Big Tech continues to downsize, with this wee

CM Punk's Return - Perfect Timing for the Symbol of Anti-WWE

Looooooooook in my eyes, what do you see?! The lyrics to Cult of Personality, especially that first bar, never felt so fitting for CM Punk as it did last night. For the most part, everything that is CM Punk's return to wrestling last night at AEW Rampage ties directly into my latest thoughts on pro wrestling - the company is making it must-see destination television, an element desperately needed from pro wrestling. Last night was incredible as again, it was another moment that made wrestling feel alive - with a wild and energetic pulse. It was one of the coolest moments in pro wrestling that you knew was coming, expected, anticipated, and it was everything and more. Again, MUST-SEE television. That's hard to do. For me, it wasn't just Punk's return to pro wrestling, but the mere presence and voice of his inclusion in today's space. We know that Punk can deliver on the microphone - probably his best and most signature attribute. We also know that yes, he can

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 3/26/23

3 Up 1. Aid Workers Freed - After six years of captivity, an American aid worker who served as a missionary and as a humanitarian aid worker was freed in Niger. The story is one that surely places life in perspective. 2. Shoehei Ohtani - Ohtani sure is fun on the big stage, huh? MLB has one of the most entertaining athletes on the globe. Let's hope they can capitalize on that. 2a. Team Japan - I won't get into the wars of baseball here, but it sure was fun to watch Japan's approach to baseball throughout the tournament. There's a lot to be said about how they play the game, more so, how they teach the game. 2c. World Baseball Classic - Ohtani vs. Trout to end the tournament. You couldn't have drawn up a better script. I completely expect the next one to be just as good. 3. Adam Sandler - Say what you want about Sandler - fan or not - receiving the Mark Twain Prize for his almost-three decades of work is pretty remarkable. I actually had the privilege to meet Sa

Dome Pondering

Search This Blog