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With presumed starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo nursing a sore hamstring, the Knicks' starting lineup is still in flux one day before their preseason opener against Brazilian club Bauru:
Arron Afflalo sat out of practice today with a sore hamstring. He's missed 4 straight practices.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 6, 2015
Fisher is still unsure if Porzingis will start. Lopez, Anthony and Calderon will definitely start. Afflalo is out, so SG is up in the air.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 6, 2015
The Knicks just so happen to have a pair of highly-touted rookies who could fill the two spots remaining spots in the lineup. Could Kristaps Porzingis and/or Jerian Grant be in line for a starting role?
Asked Fish whether idea of starting a rookie this early on vet team worries him. Basically said no; will give spot to most-deserving player.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 6, 2015
Fish also said he wouldn't have any qualms with starting two rookies -- Porzingis and Grant -- if he was convinced those two were best fits.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 6, 2015
Zingis Khan may not have nailed down a starting stop as of yet, but he's still looking forward to his reception from the MSG crowd:
Porzingis said he expects a different reception tomorrow at MSG than the one he received when he got drafted. Says fans know him better now
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 6, 2015
Fans in the streets of New York have shouted at 20-year-old Kristaps Porzingis: "You better be healthy and bring us a championship."
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) October 6, 2015
In the end, naming preseason starters shouldn't be too high on Fisher's priority list. This, however, should be...
Fisher, for 1st time that I can remember, emphasizes need to run opposing teams off the 3-pt line. NY was dead-last in 3PT% defense last yr.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 6, 2015
Awesome! Let's not finish dead last in anything this season!