Dallas Mavericks: Risks Surrounding Kristaps Porzingis Aren’t Mounting
By Reid Hanson
Don’t be afraid, Dallas Mavericks fans, the bad press surrounding Kristaps Porzingis lately are unlikely to risk his Mavs tenure.
Since joining the Dallas Mavericks, the news surrounding Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t been great: First there was the concern about him not re-signing long-term with the Mavs and merely being an expensive one-year rental. Then there was the sexual assault accusations (something never to be taken lightly). Finally there was the Latvian bar fight that left KP bloodied and noticeably … agitated.
Kevin Sherrington from the Dallas Morning News recently wrote about it saying the risks just keep piling up. While none of this represents “good” news, it’s not as worrisome as some may lead you to believe (FWIW I don’t think Sherrington was fear-mongering, I just believe the title implied a little more panic that what’s warranted).
It’s understandable some are growing nervous about the Dallas Mavericks newest cornerstone piece. He’s not yet committed to the franchise long-term, he has a legal question mark looming, and he put himself into a bad situation (Being a famous person at a bar in the Eastern Bloc over a holiday).
Fear Not!
The contract situation isn’t really a legitimate concern. Sure, KP could sign for just one season and walk. But doing so would leave a ridiculous amount of money on the table and all indications are his brother and he loves the Dallas Mavericks organization.
The sexual assault case certainly needs our utmost respect and sensitivity. Sexual assault and domestic violence are one of the hardest crimes to prove and just because a decent legal case can’t be made, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen (so never confuse legal innocence with actual innocence). But many reports are calling this more of an extortion case than an assault case and predict his accuser will ultimately be the one in trouble.
Finally there’s the bar fight. It’s never a good idea to put a famous rich person in a binge drinking situation and that’s exactly what appeared to happen with Kristaps. Some over-served Russian patrons took issue with Porzingis during their holiday celebration. He put himself in a bad situation and got off easy. Thank goodness he didn’t break his hand as some worried.
Collectively, this is all ugly news that appears to threaten his Mavs career before it even starts. But individually all of the potential negative outcomes are extreme long-shots.
KP is going to sign a multi-year deal with the Mavs. It’s a comfortable situation for he and his entourage, it’s high profile playing alongside Luka Doncic, and it will guarantee him he’ll be financially set for life (something important for a player who’s rehabbing)
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As stated before, his potential legal troubles from New York don’t appear to carry weight. It’s another long-shot. And the bar fight looks like an isolated incident illustrating the all-too popular, “wrong place – wrong time.”
The only real concern is the one MFFLs knew about before he even came to Dallas: His recovery from injury. It’s been 20+ months since KP has played a meaningful game.
While a full recovery is expected, it’s hardly guaranteed. They call him The Unicorn because he’s a freak of nature (in the most complimentary sense). Humans his size aren’t supposed to move like him. He’s defying all odds already.
But even those fears have been quelled after reports of him practicing with the Dallas Mavericks came out late in the season.
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The Dallas Mavericks don’t need to be any more worried about Kristaps today than the day they first made the trade. KP’s future isn’t facing mounting risks and nothing appears legitimate enough to derail his Mavs career.
- Published on 05/17/2019 at 11:01 AM
- Last updated at 05/17/2019 at 08:10 AM