New York Knicks Fans Are Dead Set Ropable About The NBA Draft

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Published

June 26, 2015

The New York Knicks absolutely cannot catch a break at the moment.

Coming off easily one of the worst NBA seasons the storied franchise has ever seen, the Knicks were the only team to drop down the draft order thanks to the always fickle NBA Draft Lottery, with the number one pick in the draft going to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Los Angeles Lakers (of course) leapfrogging the Knicks to knock them out of the top 3.

But still, pick 4 overall was not to be sneezed at. After all, that pick in the order has produced players like Dikembe Mutombo, Rasheed Wallace, Lamar Odom, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul in drafts of yore.

It should, in theory, be the first step in a rebuilding process that will see the Knicks slowly develop and piece together a championship-calibre roster. And at the very least, fans would take some heart in the idea that the night is now at its darkest point.

Except today’s NBA Draft rolls around and – at pick number four – the Knicks read out the name Kristaps Porzingis, and fans were pretty, pretty, pretty pissed off.

How pissed, exactly? Fans in attendance at the Draft – which was being held in New York at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn – booed the shit out of it.

They even chanted “WE WANT WINSLOW” as Porzingis received his Knicks cap – in reference to Duke forward Justise Winslow, who eventually went to the Miami Heat at pick 10.

Fans at home were no different, somehow exhibiting even less chill than the live crowd in Brooklyn.

Danny Aiello on Knicks 1st round draft pick #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/YCf6y3cvsR

— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) June 26, 2015

Aaaaaaaand then in came the jokes.

“The New York Knicks select Krisnaps Pork Skins” pic.twitter.com/HmkLT7v623

— Belly Wap (@GeorgeFoster72) June 26, 2015

Teams drafting franchise players &the Knicks are ordering appetizers at an Italian restaurant. “Yes we’ll start with the Kristaps Porzingis”

— Larry Beyince (@DragonflyJonez) June 26, 2015

KNICKS ARE GETTING ALL THESE JOKES pic.twitter.com/ckLRnfsVxh

— 2DOPEBOYZ (@2DopeBoyz) June 26, 2015

KNICKS FANS EVERYWHERE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/MgMxX9z9JJ

— Ahmed/Transpopeyes (@big_business_) June 26, 2015

Knicks Fans pic.twitter.com/GIsNp4xtdq

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) June 26, 2015

Knicks fans are hoping Kristaps Porzingis turns out better than their last six lottery picks. pic.twitter.com/yB41Zng7DX

— ESPN (@espn) June 26, 2015

“Who you say the Knicks picked? Bus Stop Tingles?” pic.twitter.com/SWCI2Ryq5m

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 26, 2015

Now, it’s not that Porzingis is a bad player as such, but drafting an unproven European into the American system is forever a risk – particularly with a lottery pick. More to that, fans are yearning for a franchise player, and the 7’2″ Latvian is definitely not that.

Whether Porzingis is up to the task of proving everyone wrong probably won’t be known for at least five years, leaving long-suffering Knicks fans to wait in the slums for another few seasons at least.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took Kentucky centre Karl-Anthony Towns with pick number 1 overall, followed by the Lakers taking Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell at two, and the Philadelphia 76ers taking Duke centre Jahlil Okafur at three.

The 2015 NBA Draft rolls on.

Photo: Elsa via Getty Images.

via Complex.