New York Knicks: Julius Randle is an absolute stud, goodbye Kristaps Porzingis

The New York Knicks did a fantastic job navigating the second-tier free-agent market after losing out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this past offseason. Bringing in former New Orleans Pelican, Julius Randle has given the team a spark of new life and optimism for success in the future.

Randle not only brings past success but the desire and passion for dragging the Knicks out of the dark ages, leftover from the Kristaps Porzingis era, and his unfortunate need to take his talents elsewhere. Randle, though, seems to be the real deal after only one preseason game with the Knicks — yes, I know, better to be patient and wait for the regular season to make rash comments, but hell, we need a little excitement in our lives as Knicks fans.

This week, Brooklyn Nets star Durant stated that the Knicks weren’t a cool destination:

“I think a lot of fans look at the Knicks as a brand and expect these younger players who, in their lifetime, don’t remember the Knicks being good,” Durant said. “… I’ve seen the Knicks in the Finals, but kids coming up after me didn’t see that. That whole brand of the Knicks to them is not as cool as let’s say the Golden State Warriors or even the Lakers or the Nets now. The cool thing right now is not the Knicks.”

Randle responded to his comment, saying:

“Shit. I feel cool in blue and orange. I don’t know about everybody else, but I feel pretty cool wearing my Knicks gear every day. It’s a dream come true for me.”

Interesting — playing for the New York Knicks is “cool” after all! What’s even cooler is the idea of taking the Knicks to the playoffs and injecting pride into an organization that has lost its way. As fans, nobody should be distraught over the abrupt exit of Kristaps Porzingis. He didn’t want to play in New York under the bright lights, so he was shown the door.

Bringing in Randle might not supplement the loss of Porzingis entirely, but it undoubtedly helps with the culture and atmosphere around the team. Having a quality player that “want” to be there can be the difference between winning and losing.

So here’s a collecting, “goodbye” to Kristaps Porzingis.