New York Knicks: Olympic Takeaways, Roster Implications, Criticism

What’s the latest on New York Knicks players competing in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics? Will Jeff Hornacek’s rotation have room for Guillermo Hernangomez?

The NBA season starts in a little more than two months. Before we start discussing the New York Knicks season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s only fair we take a look at the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Carmelo Anthony, Guillermo Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas represent different countries, but they’re all under contract with the New York Knicks.

Anthony, four-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, hopes to become the first male basketball player to claim the gold on three occasions. Despite the firestorm his comments created back in the United States, it’s a major accomplishment for his personal career.

The U.S team finished the preliminary round 5-0. However, the past few opponents have challenged America’s super team. After crushing China and Venezuela, they’ve struggled against a gritty Australian team, then battled Serbia and France to the bitter end with three-point victories in each contest.

Maybe the close victories will build urgency, but a few misses could send the U.S team back home without the gold.

Representing Spain, Hernangomez comes off the bench and provides modest contributions on the offensive end. Before the quarterfinals, Spain will square off against Argentina on Monday. Kuzminskas comes off the bench for Lithuania. He’s played more overall minutes than Hernangomez in the opening round.

What’s the latest on Anthony, Hernangomez and Kuzminskas in Rio De Janeiro? We’ll take a closer look at the most recent games for the U.S., Spanish and Lithuanian national teams.

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