ROY watch

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I thought we stared a thread on this, but maybe discussion was buried in a KAT thread. Anyway, as we reach the quarter mark of the season, it looks like KAT and Porzingis are neck and neck. Take a look at how remarkably close their stats are:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=2016&p1=townska01&y2=2016&p2=porzikr01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Their respective statistics are almost identical in nearly every relevant category...it's a little eerie. It's not surprising that with all the identical stats, win shares is also a dead heat.

We need to keep an eye on PPG leader Okafor and APG leaders Mudiay and McConnell too, but right now I see the three of them far behind the two leaders.

[m4gor [enjin:6667447]]

yea it is very very close, these are his highlights from yesterday, some of those plays are pretty damn sick, his jumper is as smooth as he would be SG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V3HBS_vqm4
it also looks like he is heating up, shooting percentages are going up, and he is showing something new every game, i am concerned that if Sam does not play KAT more, Porz might run away with that .. Having back to back ROY would be sweet, but it is not that important anyway i suppose

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for the link, m4gor...very impressive looking player! You're right...he plays like a SG, except he is 7'3" and a terrific rim protector. Towns, Porzingis and Okafor all look like they are going to be potential all-stars, but it's easy to make an argument that Porzingis is going to be a truly transformational player. Keep in mind he has grown 4 inches in the last year so is still getting used to his new height...kind of like a new-born colt. He looks like he can add 30 pounds to that frame easily, and what an inside outside force he will be then! And this is the guy the stupid Knicks fans booed at the draft :roll: .

I agree that minutes played may determine the eventual ROY. While Towns and Porzingis' respective MPG are even for the year, Kristaps' minutes are trending up while KAT's are trending down. I expect this trend to continue for a couple reasons. First, Sam has better options backing up KAT (Gorgui and soon, Pek) than Porzingis' backups (former Wolves standouts Derrick Williams and Lou Amundson). Secondly while they are both 20-year-old rookies, KAT only played 40 games in college last year, while Kristaps is in his third year of professional ball and played 100 games last year...i.e. he is less likely to hit the rookie wall than KAT.

I watched both of these guys in Vegas, and neither looked ready for the NBA. It's very impressive how both of them have improved and become big contributors for their teams.

[Monster]

I was one person that said Zingis could be an impact guy from day 1 but he is easily exceeding my expectations. He is a terrific talent. One thing that's really been great for him is playin next to Lopez allowing him to play PF. Later in his career he will be able to play both spots but not having to play C and playing next to a guy like Lopz who is a very solid player helps him and takes some pressure off him.

I don't really give a crap about ROY. Whoever wins it this year is gonna likely to be a damn good player. Hell maybe it ends up a 3 way tie or something. It's not Like if KAT ends up not winning it because he played less than 30mpg he is loosing to a Mike Miller or MCW ROY type. Zingis and Towns are a crazy fun duo of bigmen added to the NBA and then you have old school Okafor it's a heck of a draft maybe with just just those 3 big guys.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

I think Zinger wins it. And he may run away with it. Like LST stated, the Knicks simply have more reasons to play Zinger more minutes. Along with the stated facts that he has more minutes played in pro ball, the Knicks are also in desperate need to show the fan base that they have a superstar in the wings. So if Zinger continues to perform, they are more likely to ride him. He also simply seems more ready to shoulder a larger load than Towns at this point. I wasn't expecting much of Zinger this year, but man, he has looked awesome thus far. Like Dirk, but bigger. His skill as a shooter is amazing. He is simply not blockable with his height.

[mjs34]

I think Zinger will run away with the award. I am not unhappy with the towns pick at all, and expect big things from him, but KP looks like an MVP candidate in a few years. The kid checks every box, and creates a few more. I don't know that I have ever witnessed a guy with his height, move the way he does. He is 7'2+ and is hanging in the air switching from a dunk to a layup off the glass. The guys court vision is unbelievable, and his fundamentals on things like boxing out make him look like a veteran.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Dirk is an excellent comparison for Porzingis, hicks...a 7 footer who can handle the ball and hit the three. But I would argue Kristaps is a good match for Dirk now, because he is a far better player than Dirk was as a 20-year-old rookie. Dirk only hit 20% of his threes as a rookie, and didn't really hit his stride until his third year in the NBA. And Dirk has never been the rim protector that Kristaps is already. It's really extraordinary how quickly Porzingis has adapted.

[mjs34]

Dirk was a lousy defender for most of his career, and that is an area that KP seems to excel at. Offensively I think they are a good comparison, but that is where it stops.

[Monster]

Dirk was a lousy defender for most of his career, and that is an area that KP seems to excel at. Offensively I think they are a good comparison, but that is where it stops.

Yeah and Dirk wasn't a top level rebounder right away either. That floater might have been the thing that surprised me in the video that was posted. He is gonna be a fun player to watch over his career.

[worldK]

Porzingis is a stud and going to be great no doubt. He will be the new face of the Knicks franchise soon.

I'm perfectly happy we have towns and very happy that Porzingis is in the east! I think towns wins the Roy award this year though. He is the best big for the team so far and he will start playing in the 4th soon. Too talented to keep on not be playing in crunch time. Dieng's improvement along with pek coming back will only reduce belly and kg's minutes.