The New York Knicks got a scare on Monday night as their first-round draft pick went down with a scary neck injury. Kristaps Porzingis hit the court as Carmelo Anthony hit him leaving the power forward to exit the game against the San Antonio Spurs and not return. While the injury does not appear to be serious, it could leave the rookie out for a game or two.
According to ESPN's Ian Begley, Porzingis suffered a neck strain in a play that looked scarier than it ended up being. The power forward underwent X-rays on his neck which came back negative, but he might sit out a game just to be cautious.
"I had some stiffness in my neck. It doesn't feel too good," Porzingis said, via ESPN.com. "It's nothing serious. I think it'll be fine soon. I was just laying on the floor in a lot of pain. I couldn't really move my neck at that point. With time it got a little better. Now I've just got to try to relax my neck as much as possible ... because they're so stiff. Just get some rest and take some pills for the muscles to relax and recover quicker."
With Porzingis hurt, Derrick Williams could be moved into a starting role against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Begley reports that Porzingis could play on Wednesday night as he made a quick recovery from the injury. That is certainly not the worst option considering Williams has been off to a good start so far this year. Kyle O'Quinn is also an option against the Cavaliers for head coach Derek Fisher. The good news is that Porzingis is expected to be just fine with some rest.
The biggest issue for New York is their back court. Agains the Spurs, Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic combined to shoot 3-for-12 while Jerian Grant had 12 points on his own. Fisher admitted that he is thinking about changing the lineup, but is hesitant to start the rookie. With Arron Afflalo still out with a hamstring injury, the Knicks are trying to figure out what depth works on the court with Carmelo Anthony.
Could Jimmer Fredette be an option? After being released by the Spurs, the shooting guard was drafted by the Weschester Knicks which is New York's D-League team. The former National Player of the Year is hopeful that means he can land a spot on the roster sooner rather than later. Fredette told the media that he has spoken with the Knicks and felt this was his best shot at getting back into the league quickly.
"With them having 14 guys on the roster, you never know what's going to happen," Fredette said, via ESPN.com. "But everything comes into play when you're trying to figure out the best situation to go to. I'm excited to be here," he said. "I'm not too far from where I grew up so that's a big part of it and I think that's sort of a cool thing. You never know what's going to happen, but I hope to impress and play well and then go from there."
With Vujacic and Calderon struggling to do much of anything, a call to Fredette is not the worst idea. However, Grant and Langston Galloway are proving they might be more suited for a starting job sooner rather than later.
