NEW YORK (AP) – Kristaps Porzingis came to the NBA from Europe as a 7-footer with 3-point range, so the comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki were inevitable.
Jeff Hornacek figured the best way for Porzingis to play like Nowitzki was to play with Nowitzki.
So the New York Knicks coach called Dallas coach Rick Carlisle in the offseason and asked if his veteran star would be open to working out with the second-year forward.
Turns out, fraternizing with the enemy isn’t only allowed, but some coaches even broker it.
“Most coaches, they want all the players in the league to do well,” Hornacek said, “and so when you have a young player like that, if you have a veteran on your team and somebody calls you up and says, ‘Hey, will this guy have him in his workouts,’ a lot of these guys get together anyway so it’s not that big a deal.”