Knicks Roster, David Fizdale, Allonzo Trier Praised by Bobby Portis

The New York Knicks had a busy offseason.

Brand new Knicks forward, Bobby Portis likes what he sees in NYC with the orange and blue.

“I’m very excited,” Portis told me.

“Just have to get up here and get started.”

From the state of Arkansas, New York City is a brave new world for Portis. “I don’t know much yet,” he said.

“But I’m going to be getting to know it. Other than coming her for the Draft in 2015, this is going to be my first official time staying here.”

Portis has a lane to be successful in the Big Apple. His running start began last season.

In stints with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, Portis averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game; all career highs.

Portis’ ability to stretch the floor from positions 3 to 5 is vastly underrated. He shot a carer 36% from downtown and in fact, during his brief stint with the Wizards last season, he shot 40.3 percent from the 3-point line in only 28 games.

Icing on the cake? 

He takes care of his body.

Portis has become a health-food fanatic and workout demon He has a cheat code.

According to the New York Post, he also has a stake in a healthy-snack company and is known for his 12-hour workdays in June and July when many NBA players are taking it easy.

That mindset began since he was drafted in 2015. Right after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2015, I asked him what he knew about popular Chicago restaurant, Harold’s Chicken Shack.

He knew about it.

He just can’t eat it.

Portis has been active since signing with the Knicks. Earlier this month, he was in Philadelphia participating in the Rumph Classic at Lasalle University.

 

Worth noting: Toronto Raptors NBA Champion Kyle Lowry and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum were either in attendance or participating at the Rumph Classic.

In an offseason where many had hoped that a Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pairing would happening in Manhattan instead of in Brooklyn, the Knicks salvaged their roster and cap space by adding Portis and other key pieces.

Portis thinks the he and the Knicks can do something special and he has has one goal in mind: “Maintaining adversity,” he told me.

“It’s going to come. Try to stay healthy and not have any injuries. Obviously getting traded out of nowhere [last season], so definitely the adversity. I’ve been getting it my whole life so I can face it.”

He’s developed a strong bond with Knicks head coach, David Fizdale. “Since my interview process, he’ll text me everyday,” he told me.

“He’s a fierce coach, one of the best vocal coaches there is.” 

Portis respects Allonzo Trier’s story of going undrafted and making an NBA roster. “I like his working mentality, ” he told me of Trier.

“He came in working. He put the work in, the hard work. That’s really all you can ask for. But a guy like Alonzo Trier hasn’t reached his peak yet, he’s undrafted so he has a lot to prove.”

Portis commends the Knicks’ roster upgrades this summer too. With the third overall pick in June, the Knicks selected RJ Barrett from Duke.The former Blue Devil, averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game last season.

“I love his competitive edge and his upside,” Bobby Portis told said of Barrett.

“He’s going to be a great player in the league. It’s about the experience he’s just going to go out there and leave it on the line.”

High Praise!

In June’s Draft, the Knicks also acquired Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis in exchange for Kyle Guy, the No. 55 overall pick.

For those keeping score at home: During Summer League in Las Vegas last month, Brazdeikis lit up the 3-point line like New Years Eve in Manhattan’s Times Square.

Averaging 18 points per game, the one-time Michigan Wolverine went 11-of-19 from downtown.

The Knicks were active in free agency this summer.

The Knickerbockers signed Knicks signed Julius Randle to a three-year, $63 million deal.

It was worth it.

Randle, 24, averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds on a struggling Anthony Davis-less Pelicans team this past season.

If you’re tardy to the party: THOSE STATS are All Star numbers in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Before NBA free agency officially began, estemeed NBA writer, Steve Kyler hinted  on the Scoop B Radio Podcast that Randle joining the New York Knicks would be a solid basketball move.

“It might be a great basketball win for the front office,” Kyler told me.

Randle joining the orange and blue actually fills much needed depth after the departure of Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr.

The Knicks also signed Brooklyn native, Taj Gibson. Gibson, 34, will play well defensively.

Per The Knicks Wall: Gibson had a career-best 61.2 True Shooting percentage last season.

The Knicks also signed Wayne Ellington, a career 37.9% 3-point shooter to their roster. He’ll likely add solid floor spacing and they signed Elfrid Payton.

Payton averaged 10.6 points, 7.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game last season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard, Reggie Bullock and ex-Boston Celtics big man, Marcus Morris also signed with the Knicks this offseason.

Morris agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with New York. Bullock, a career 39.2 percent shooter from downtown was shipped to the Lakers before the NBA’s trading deadline this winter.

He agreed to a two-year, $8.2 million deal with the Knicks. His second year is a team option.

All those moves are pleasing to Bobby Portis. “We have a lot of good pieces in place that’ll gel well together,” he told me.

“That’s why I’m happy.”

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