Phil o razlozima zašto je izabrao Porzingisa:
"When someone says to me [that] this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I have to be alert," Jackson said of what Knicks basketball adviser Clarence Gaines Jr. told him and how Porzingis eventually became a Knick. "And [I have to] consider that after he's been in this business for as long as he has, I think he has as good of an eye as he has on talent."Late last winter, Gaines texted Jackson from Madrid, where he was watching the 7-foot-2 forward play. Gaines, who was on the Bulls' staff with Jackson during their six championships in the 1990s, said he had an "eye-opening" experience.
That is how the process began of Porzingis becoming the fourth overall pick by the Knicks on Thursday night, Jackson said. While Anthony might be "furious" and "livid" with the Knicks' draft, according to what sources told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Jackson painted Porzingis' potential as too much to pass up on even if it may take longer than Anthony and fans might like for Porzingis to develop.
"We anticipate it's going to be rough regardless of whether we have a 19-year-old KP or a 19-year-old whomever," Jackson later admitted. "They're still young players and have a lot of maturation to go."navodno je Phil razgovarao i sa Gasolom kojem se Kristaps jako sviđa:
“There’s a lot of comparisons to (Pau Gasol),” Jackson said. “I think the structure of their bodies is very similar, and the activity level, how they run, their athleticism, is similar.
“This young man has better range perhaps than Pau does, a natural three-point shooter, but that’s the natural evolution of the game at this time.”
čini se da Porzingisa zvižduci nisu previše pogodili i kaže da je svjestan da ga čega puno posla:
"I'm going to adjust to life in America," Porzingis said. "For me it's going to be easy, because I already know the language and I already know the culture, and I've had a moment like that when I was 15, so for me, it's going to be easy.
"I have to prove myself once again now against the best players in the world, in the best league in the world. For me, it's a huge challenge, so I have to just keep working, I can't stop at any moment or think the job is done. For me, now is the time to prove that I'm worthy of playing in the NBA."
