Kristaps Porzingis has not been doing most of his ACL rehab in Latvia as previously thought, but secretly working in Spain with Real Madrid, according to multiple sources.
Porzingis has conducted much of his offseason rehab in Madrid at its training facility that houses its superpower basketball and soccer clubs.
Real Madrid’s basketball team is in the Final Four of the EuroLeague and features top-three lottery pick Luka Doncic and ex-Knick PG Chasson Randle. Unless the Knicks trade up from nine, Porzingis and Doncic will not be teammates in New York.
After his exit meeting, Porzingis flew to his homeland in Leipaja, Latvia but believes he’s in good hands in Spain, where he played three seasons in the Spanish League and speaks the language fluently.
“KP is doing great in Madrid,’’ said Carlon Colker, Porzingis’ performance doctor based in Greenwich, Conn. “His aggressive rehab is at a jaw-dropping rate. In conjunction, his body is already looking beastly. By September, he’ll be almost non-recognizable with his shirt off. We’re working on increasing his lean muscle mass and also training for a functionality and ruggedness to compliment his game.’’
His best buddy, Willy Hernangomez also lives in Spain and once played for Real Madrid.
“Things are moving on as expected,’’ GM Scott Perry said Tuesday at the lottery. “We’re looking forward to monitoring him throughout the summer.”
In making good use of Real Madrid’s state-of-the-art facility, Porzingis will stay in Europe most of the offseason, continuing his unorthodox marriage to the Knicks.
New Knicks coach David Fizdale said he would visit Porzingis after this week’s draft combine, but likely will see him in Latvia so he can meet his family and see his hometown Leipaja.
https://nypost.com/2018/05/16/kristaps-porzingis-knicks-relationship-gets-stranger-with-spain-rehab/