Let's see consistency and focus from Portis.
There's a reason the Bulls moved him and WAS let him go.
Check out his game log from last year.
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3064482/type/nba/year/2019I just skimmed over Jan-Feb-Mar 2019.
Very erratic stuff.
Might go for 30 one night then 6 the next followed by 12 or somesuch. Tis a definite pattern.
Randomly I went with March:
March Game Log 2018-19 Regular SeasonMIN FG PTS
22 1-9 2
39 11-22 28
23 2-8 6
25 3-8 10
31 6-15 14
36 6-11 18
38 6-17 15
19 4-9 11
23 7-11 18
24 1-7 3
23 3-11 6
33 6-12 17
31 9-18 21
25 10-16 23
22 4-12 12
28 10-18 26
28 2-8 7
All his months look like that.
One good game as a Knick and suddenly he's bulletproof and proved the doubters wrong? That's stupid.
Otherwise I don't think anyone cared much about his salary, since it's short-term. The 2nd year is a team option, so it's really a one year deal -- we have that cap space next year if we want. Also he could be a trade chip, since he is signed next year. Signing Portis made a lot of sense. Largely a flyer on a 24 year old.
Portis has size and talent.
But needs to get mentally strong.
Consistency isn't easy for young players, but he's been around for a while. He caught my eye early his rook year, so I've tried to keep tabs on him. He also needs to improve his defense.
Inconsistency + weak D = teams/coaches have trouble trusting you. Gotta become reliable.
He can probably do it, if he focuses and gets rid of some lazy habits.