New York Knicks center Willy Hernangomez was considered a building block by president Steve Mills before this season started. But then, the Knicks acquired Enes Kanter in the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the OKC Thunder and signed Michael Beasley. Both of them have played well for the Knicks, and Hernangomez's opportunities have been hard to come by this season, playing mostly in garbage time. He has only appeared in 18 contests and played 9.5 minutes per game.
Given the logjam of centers in New York, head coach Jeff Hornacek is exploring the possibilities of countering small-ball by throwing two traditional big men on the court at the same time. This is wonderful news for Hernangomez. He spoke with the New York Post about this new big-men plan and said:
“I like it. It would be more of a chance for me to play. I think sometimes we have to use our advantage. We have a lot of big guys — KO [Kyle O’Quinn], Enes [Kanter], KP [Kristaps Porzingis] and me. We could use our height instead of going small against a small team. I think it’s a great idea. Hopefully we can do it.”
Hernangomez has heard rumors about other teams interested in trading for him. Despite acknowledging he likes it in New York City, he also admits that he would like more playing time. He said about the trade rumors:
“I feel great to know other teams are interested about me, right? My situation is like this right now, not playing much. But I’m ready. I like to be with my teammates. I like to be a part of this team. But I don’t want to [sound] selfish, but I want to play. I’m ready for everything.’’
After playing seven minutes in the Knicks' 100-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday, Hernangomez is positive that is a sign of good things to come:
“I’m always ready. [Hornacek] doesn’t need to say be ready. It’s been hard because I haven’t played much the past [19 games]. Today was big minutes for me at an important time.’’
If the Knicks will give Hernangomez more playing time or end up trading him, remains to be seen. Whichever happens would be an upgrade over the very low amount of minutes he has played this season.
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