I think you have to get Porzingis some run to shake off the rust and back into the flow. Missing a month and then getting inserted into high stakes (ECF/Finals) playoff intensity would take at least a game or two.
yeah, I don't understand this concept that even if healthy you want to sit him and throw him out in Game 1 against say Gobert/towns in a high intensity finals game 1.
Nobody, including KP or his doctors, are going to know for certain that he's 100% healthy. He might feel fine, but that doesn't mean he's healed all of the way. More rest means more healing time, more strengthening, etc.
From what I've read, every calf strain makes a subsequent calf strain more likely. That being the case, mixed with the fact that KP's calf popped so quickly and easily after he compensated for his ankle injury, makes me extremely wary. I think that once he returns, we'll only be able to count on him for a limited number of games. In my mind, I'd like to start that clock as late as possible.
If that part is true, and that is what the Doctors tell the team, that he is only good for 5-10 games or whatever, then sure, don't play him until you have too. But what if the "number of games" is more like between 10-100, something more realistic in my mind.
It is of course a trade off. The more games you ask him to play, the more risk of injury. I don't see the time between game 4 and finals game 1 (about 1.5 weeks if I remember correctly) making all that much difference in his healing. If he isn't healed by game 4, then something is going on and he may not be healed until next season.
But if he is healed, or as healed as he is going to get, I say get him out there for game 4. We are all in for this title. The best chance to win the title is to have Porzingis back with a couple of games under his belt for Game 1 of the finals.