Recent New York Knicks rumors revolve around center Willy Hernangomez garnering interest from the Utah Jazz.
As the losses begin piling up, there are going to be more and more New York Knicks rumors popping up as well. After Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks’ record dropped to 21-28 on the season.
The recent struggles can be attributed to many things, one of them being injuries. You are not going to win many games when your best player, Kristaps Porzingis, is out. Or when you are starting Ron Baker because Tim Hardaway Jr. needs to sit.
Starters aren’t the only players that have been injured lately, as key reserve Kyle O’Quinn has been dealing with a calf injury, missing the previous two games.
While the injuries are tough to overcome, the Knicks need other players to step up. With injuries in the frontcourt, one player that is being asked to play is Willy Hernangomez.
Hernangomez had a strong rookie season in 2016-17. However, that strong performance has not carried over to this season as Hernangomez has not been a consistent part of the rotation. Head coach Jeff Hornacek has decided to go with Enes Kanter and O’Quinn at center, cementing Hernangomez to the bench.
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Despite not getting any minutes, Hernangomez is still garnering trade interest. After O’Quinn was linked to the Golden State Warriors earlier in the week, Hernangomez has now been linked to a team as well.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Hernangomez is receiving the most interest of anyone on the team’s roster. He added that the Utah Jazz are one team to express interest in the 23-year-old center.
While he has not received playing time this season, there is a lot to like about Hernangomez. His rookie season provided plenty of promise, averaging 8.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He did all that in only 18.4 minutes per game.
In addition to the solid rookie season, Hernangomez is also on a very team-friendly contract. He is in the second season of a four-year, $5.9 million rookie deal. Hernangomez was a second round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015, and the Knicks acquired his draft rights and brought him over last season.
Not playing could get any player down. However, Hernangomez is ready whenever he is called upon. He also says the interest he is reportedly drumming up on the trade market is keeping his spirits up despite not receiving the playing time he was hoping to get.
"“I feel good to know that I’m not even playing and a lot of teams are interested in me. That makes you happy, you can see that you did something good and somebody thinks you can be good in this league,” he said. “Like I said, I’m not worried about what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks. I’m working to be ready for my minutes to come. I’ll be ready. I got a chance to play here, whatever it is.”"
Kanter and O’Quinn have earned their minutes this season. They have both played great basketball, which partly explains why Hernangomez has been out of the rotation. Bondy shed some light as to why Hernangomez doesn’t play consistently, and it goes back to before the season even began.
"It is obvious, at this point, that Jeff Hornacek is not his biggest fan. After Hernangomez’s underwhelming training camp — during which the Spaniard showed up “feeling himself a little too much,” according to a source — Hernangomez fell out of the rotation and has remained there, stuck behind Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn."
That is certainly not encouraging to hear. Hernangomez did well last season, but if he carried himself the way that Bondy’s source describes, it is understandable why Hornacek would be rubbed the wrong way.
Hernangomez’s status on the team goes beyond the basketball court as well. He is best friends with Kristaps Porzingis, something that could play a factor in his future with the team. The two were teammates in Spain and are always next to each other in the locker room, according to Bondy.
The Knicks should be doing all they can to keep Porzingis happy after what Phil Jackson did prior to his firing. If that means keeping Hernangomez around, it is something they should certainly consider.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 15
The Knicks will have some important decisions to make in the coming weeks. It it likely a deal is consummated, as the Knicks need to alleviate their logjam at the center position. Whether that means trading Hernangomez, O’Quinn or Kanter will tell a lot about the Knicks’ outlook on the remainder of the season.