NEW YORK — ZingSanity may or may not have quite the same ring as LinSanity; but the main thing is the Knicks have a new gem in their home gym.
There are a few not long ago’s that culminate the Knicks as they concluded their 12th game of the 2015-16 season and are at the .500 mark.
The first, none other than, Jeremy Lin who just over 3 years ago was all the rage of not only New York, but the entire planet. After one magical night against the then New Jersey Nets, the Taiwanese born (who dominated then Nets point guard, Deron Williams) Lin’s star was born and he became a global icon. Lin’s jersey was the top seller in a league that had both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James among other young and emerging stars playing at full force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9YRaDI7W4U
Playing in New York, Lin even had a positive effect on the stock market. There was also a beef between Time Warner Cable and Madison Square Garden that Lin’s celebrity of, ‘must watch tv’, that had the Governor, of New York, Andrew Cuomo put his hand in to demand a settlement. Lin was ‘squeezed’ into the All-star Game’s festivities despite not having a long resume as a second year player to do so.
Lin’s power and influence, through no fault of his own got an ESPN employee fired for using a stupid remark concerning something involving Lin’s game.
Not so long ago as has been well documented Kristaps Porzingis was booed unmercifully just across the water from Madison Square Garden at the Barclay’s Center on Draft Night. It was so bad that the cameras showed a little boy literally in tears over the pick by the New York Knicks.
Not so long ago, Carmelo Anthony was playing on a bum knee that ultimately caused him to shut down after the All-star break as the Knicks were enduring a horrid and frightening season.
Not so long ago, the Knicks were the joke of the NBA as they finished last season with a 17-65 record. Not so long ago, the word around the basketball universe was that, ‘no stars would want to go to New York and play for the Knicks.’ Well there was some validity to that as non of the megastars changed addresses to Tw0 Penn Plaza. So Phil Jackson went with high character guys that he felt would fit into the triangle and would also give his team the best chance of respectability.
A funny thing also happened in the world of the Knicks. A new LinSanity or a ZingSanity in himself was born. Unlike however this “Sanity” won’t have the same effect as the former. For one, he’s 7-foot-3 and isn’t nearly looked upon as an everyday run in the mill type of guy as Lin was. Not only that, his overall make up seems to be a bit different. Also unlike Lin who came into Knicks camp as invite fodder, Porzingis was a booed out of the gym fourth overall selection with much to prove in the way of turning jeers into cheers.
There’s a hope and a good feeling around the Garden these days, although its early there’s a reason for the optimism and his name is, Kristaps Porzingis.
Jerald L. Hoover
Twitter: JerryHoover65