Kristaps Porzingis was back in MSG on Wednesday night, struggling from the floor on 6-of-17 shooting in a Wizards victory that ended with Porzingis fouling out with the game already in hand.
It was far from Porzingis’ first game back at The Garden since he was traded, but the former Knicks hopeful savior still heard the same sounds he did years ago that made his former home different from any other.
“It's always fun and the crowd is always into it,” Porzingis said. “They didn’t have their best game tonight, but still, even when they had two buckets in a row, the crowd was roaring for them to make a run. It’s a special, special place.”
Porzingis has been looking back on his Knicks tenure with particular fondness of late, as time and perspective have given him a new outlook. The common refrain when talking about his time in New York, and the way it ended, is one of regret in how the trade request was handled.
“I think the way the trade happened, I did some dumb stuff,” Porzingis said. “Some cryptic tweets. The whole process was just a mess. I didn't like the way things ended. That wasn't how I wanted it to end, if it did end.”
Porzingis posted, “the truth will come out” after he was dealt to Dallas, but now, the only truth that Porzingis speaks of is that he was young, inexperienced, and could have handled the situation much differently than how it unfolded, with the team’s top-five draft pick bolting and kickstarting another Knicks rebuild.
“I tried to stay myself throughout this whole time. Not do anything or say anything,” Porzingis said. “If I should have said anything, it was right after the trade. Now it’s too late. I think now maybe fans are easing up on me and understanding that it was what it was in that moment, and I was young. I got traded, and of course I was hurt. That’s why I put some dumb tweets out there or whatever I did. But I think people are starting to forgive me and we’re moving past it.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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