Nine games are left after the Knicks completed a home-and-away sweep of the fading Bulls on Thursday to get to 30 wins — awash in Garden cheers. Their first back-to-back triumphs since mid-January were meaningless in the standings for the Knicks but meaningful in the tweaks management is trying to incorporate under interim coach Kurt Rambis.
Little experimentations are unfolding on a nightly basis, and now LeBron James’ Cavaliers grace the Garden on Saturday in another test. Knicks president Phil Jackson is trying to turn Arron Afflalo into a sixth man. He’s trying to transform free-agent-to-be Kevin Seraphin from backup center to a power forward to expand his versatility. And he’s giving rookie point guard Jerian Grant the green light to shoot from the 3-point line — his glaring weakness.
Most importantly, the emphasis is on phenom Kristaps Porzingis to think like a center and mix it up inside. Porzingis is alive again, posting his second straight double-double (19 and 10) as he and Carmelo Anthony were again a lethal one-two punch. This is the tandem that must be peddled to free agents.
That’s why these games matter a ton, especially the performances of Porzingis and Grant. There was rookie-bust Grant launching 3-point shots at the Garden for a half-hour before tipoff. Grant’s 3-point numbers have gone from a dreadful 15 percent before the All-Star break to 35 percent since. Against Chicago on Wednesday, Rambis used Grant as the first point guard off the bench over slumping Langston Galloway.
According to a source, the Knicks now view Galloway as purely a shooting guard — their attempts to make him a playmaker having failed.
“[Grant] has been working on the shot all year,” Rambis said Thursday. “He knew it was something he had to work on to keep defenses honest. Hand placement. His balance. Just for younger players to learn to shoot from the NBA 3-point line. It’s different than college. He’s working hard on it. He knows it’s part of the game he has to get better.”
Jackson attended the recent West Coast trip — eschewing college scouting as the Knicks don’t have a first- or second-round pick. He needs to get a close-up look at which guys he needs to re-sign for next season.
Anthony has moaned about a lack of continuity in his five-year stint as a Knick — point guard Tony Wroten is his 71st different teammate.
Lost in Anthony’s commitment issues is Rambis’ low-key decision to try Afflalo as sixth man. That’s a smart maneuver — with Jackson acknowledging the need to erase this season’s shoddy starting backcourt of Afflalo and point guard Jose Calderon.
The organization is considering using the stretch provision on Calderon to save more cap space, especially if Wroten looks nice in the summer league coming off ACL surgery.
“This is not a punishment,” Rambis said of Afflalo’s demotion. “It’s more his natural position.”
Afflalo has an opt-out this June. If he wants to return, the message has been sent that he’ll be coming off the bench. Of course, the Knicks could also be trying to reduce his market value.
“All players want to start — I get that,” Rambis said. “I’m sure he’d rather be starting.”
This surge to upgrade the backcourt in free agency or in a trade could lead to an uncertain future for center Robin Lopez, who is becoming an impressive trade chip. Lopez has been a find — even at $13 million per year — which means his trade value never has been higher.
If the Knicks think the 7-foot-3 Porzingis can mix it up as a center in two seasons after gaining 20 to 30 pounds, Lopez would become expendable in 2017 if they still need to add more guard play.
Rambis has said he would like Porzingis to run down the court quicker and get more post-ups than Lopez. The former Blazers 7-footer continues as a revelation in an NBA where big-man skills are a fading art. Not in the triangle — where the center/power forward is featured for numerous post-ups. Lopez is probably a keeper this summer, but Jackson said last month he has only two untouchables — Porzingis and Anthony.
Porzingis posted a throwback 29 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago Wednesday and followed it with another double-double Thursday after previously not having a single one under Rambis.
“It’s something we just don’t want, him staying outside,” Rambis said. “Something we’re talking to KP about that he did a much better job [Wednesday]. Sometimes he finds himself standing outside too much, but [on Wednesday], he was diving, especially when the ball goes into Melo or Arron in the post.”
The Western trip became a slight disappointment for Jackson’s evaluations, according to a source, when free-agent-to-be Lance Thomas went down during pregame warm-ups in Denver with another sprained knee.
By January, Thomas’ two-way vitality had coaches talking him up as a candidate for the league’s most improved player. Then his season collapsed. It’s an unknown — even with the salary-cap rise — what his value will be, and there’s no timetable for his return.
But these games still matter — now and for July. Rambis raved in Chicago about Porzingis being “a sponge,” and Jackson is soaking in these final games, watching Rambis and everyone closely.