Kristaps Porzingis sounds excited about one thing at least: playing for Latvia this summer.
Before skipping his Knicks exit interview last week, Porzingis told FIBA.com in an interview he “absolutely’’ wants to return to the Latvian national team this summer to play in the European Championships. Porzingis had told Knicks reporters last Wednesday he hadn’t made up his mind.
“I would like to help the team get to the second round and have a great campaign,” Porzingis told FIBA.com. “We have good potential and we can have a very competitive national team. Basketball has been growing a lot in my country, and I enjoy witnessing it. Some guys are having great seasons, and we have some great veterans that can still have a great impact on the national team.”
The lengthy event — it runs from Aug. 31-Sept. 17 — will feature two other young Knicks: Willy Hernangomez playing for Spain and Mindaugas Kuzminskas for Lithuania. Training camps for the European teams usually begin in late July/early August.
The FIBA.com report said Porzingis will hold a press conference next week in his hometown of Leipaja.
Porzingis didn’t play for the Latvian national team in last summer’s Olympic qualifier event or in the 2015 Euros. The Knicks had advised Porzingis not to play in the Olympics before last summer, with then-interim coach Kurt Rambis believing he’d be better off doing individual work.
Because of his various injuries this season, including Achilles tendinitis and back spasms, there was speculation the Knicks would feel the same way again. However, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said 10 days ago there would be discussions and the Knicks might put in a request to the national-team coaches to go easy on their players in practice.
“Sometimes you’re concerned, someone that big, you don’t want to wear him out in the summer,’’ Hornacek said. “On other hand, he’s 21 years old, experience is good for him. We’ve done it in the past [where] we had an agreement with the team: Don’t practice him every day, practice him every other day.’’
Because of the dysfunctional environment and direction of the team — Phil Jackson’s push to trade Carmelo Anthony and his insistence on sticking with the triangle offense — Porzingis staged a protest by skipping his exit meeting, but likely will meet with Knicks brass before he departs for Latvia. Porzingis had been outspoken about the “confusion’’ since January, but Knicks brass never took him seriously enough to calm his concerns.
Porzingis had long planned to spend most of his offseason overseas, traveling to Spain, where he used to play, and making promotional appearances in China and the Philippines. He also had hinted about going to Africa for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders series.
During his final interview with Knicks reporters last Wednesday, Porzingis said he didn’t want to be traveling a whole lot and preferred to hunker down in one training spot. He said he planned to “live in the weight room, 24/7’’ and take up boxing. He was seen bicycling along the West Side Highway and in Central Park on Sunday.
“I want to be focused on [staying] in one place, focusing on individual work,’’ Porzingis said. “This summer is the time to do that — less traveling as I can and stay in one place.’’