New York Knicks: Free Willy! A big problem that’s not so bad
The New York Knicks have a big problem…literally! An abundance of frontcourt players has prevented a certain young center from seeing the floor.
The logjam in the New York Knicks frontcourt of Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, and Joakim Noah presents a big problem … that is, a problem of too many bigs. After decades of handing out bloated contracts to half-proven products, the Knicks finally have options! Let’s break it down:
Enes Kanter is proving to be the producer that everyone knew he was. A traditional big, the 25-year-old can play with his back to the basket while rebounding and scoring in bunches. Despite his lack of defense, he is a valuable short-term piece for the Knicks to showcase and trade at the deadline for a wing who is better than Doug McDermott … sorry Dougie, but you are more suited for the G-League All-Star Game than starting for the New York Knicks — or you could go to China and get confused for Jimmer Fredette (until they see you play).
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Next up: A lot of people thought Kyle O’Quinn was overpaid when the Knicks pried him away from Orlando three seasons ago, but now the rebounding machine has proven his worth as a passer and gritty defender. Oh and that overpaid chatter? He is now a steal given the new CBA contracts. He is also trade bait, however, as minutes need to be cleared for one guy who can do it all but is currently doing nothing …
Willy Hernangomez.
Oh yeah, that guy with untold upside in scoring, rebounding, passing, defense, and doing your math homework? He has more DNP-CD (did not play-coach’s decision) than Melo would’ve if Phil Jackson was his coach. The dog house is an understatement. And the irony of all this is that he is owed peanuts compared to Kanter and is really just an all-around player who gels both on and off the court with Kristaps Porzingis.
Next: Has the point guard culture finally arrived in New York?
Look, business is business. The New York Knicks need to play the guys they pay and showcase talent in order to make trade deadline deals. But the bottom line is that as good as the Knicks look now, they are stunting their growth until they free Willy … still crazy after all these years.
**cue Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” as a killer whale leaps over Willy Hernangomez standing on a rock jetty, fist clenched in the air**