willy hernangomez

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics – 1/18/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Game 43: January 18, 2017
Knicks 117, Celtics 106

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

#BounceBack

After the heartbreaking loss on Monday against the Hawks, The Knicks had another tough Eastern Conference test in Boston tonight against the Celtics. The Knicks played just as hard as they did in the last game, if not harder, and came away with an excellent road win, 117-106.

Kyle O’Quinn was inserted into the starting lineup, but it was Willy Hernangomez who was the story in this one, as he came off the bench and scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Derrick Rose led the way for the Knicks and matched his season high with 30 points. Mindaugus Kuzminskas had his second straight solid game since being put into the starting lineup, and finished this one with 17 points. Isaiah Thomas was a monster as usual, and paced the Celtics with 39 points.

If you had told me before the game that Isaiah would score 39 points and the Knicks would still win by double digits, I would’ve told you that you know nothing about basketball. However, these New York Knicks really showed up tonight and took it to the Celtics from the start. They took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. A scrappy Celtics team was continuously outhustled by the Knicks, as they were outrebounded 57-33. The Knick reserve big men crew of Marshall Plumlee and Hernangomez were on a rebounding mission, as well as Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee, who had 10 and 8 rebounds, respectively.

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New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers – 1/7/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Game 39: January 7, 2017
Pacers 123, Knicks 109

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

If the Knicks don’t give up 120+ did they even play?

On the second night of a back to back, the Knicks spent the night in Indiana to take on the Pacers. New York has yet to win on a back to back, and that trend continued as the Knicks were defeated by the Pacers, 123-109. The Knicks were getting outplayed from the start in this one, and once again fell behind by double-digits early in the first half. Unlike last time in Milwaukee, the Knicks couldn’t muster up enough to complete the comeback. New York tried to make a game of it in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was just too steep. Brandon Jennings, after a rough game against the Bucks, led the way with Carmelo Anthony for 17 points apiece. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds. The Knicks fourth quarter lineup of Jennings, Ron Baker, Mindaugus Kuzminskas, KP, and Willy Hernangomez was incredibly effective, with the other four starters watching from the bench. For the Pacers, Paul George and Jeff Teague each contributed with 19 points. Thad Young contributed 16 points for the Pacers.

Takeaways from this game:

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New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks – 11/20/16 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks
Game 13: November 20, 2016
Knicks 104, Hawks 94

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

A tough stretch of games started this afternoon at MSG when the Atlanta Hawks came to town to face the Knicks. The Knicks were without Joakim Noah, who had a 72 million dollar cold and was unable to play. Kyle O’Quinn slid into his spot the starting lineup, and had a solid game with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points, and Kristaps Porzingis had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 19 points.

Takeaways from this game:

The Backup Center Spot

Coming into this season, the backup center position was a real question mark for this team.  Could Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez be good enough as the two backup centers? I thought no, but so far this season I have been proven wrong. O’Quinn fit nicely with the starting unit and showed the value of having a center that could step out and consistently hit a 15 foot jumper. His hands were like magnets in the first quarter where he had 7 of his 8 rebounds and a block. Hernangomez continues to impress off the bench with his slick passes and offensive arsenal. Both of these guys need some work on the defensive side, but both have been pleasant surprises.

Melo Mania:

Carmelo had one of those games where he reminds everyone he is still an offensive force in this league. Melo had a game high 31 points, and was scoring from every spot on the court. When he and KP both score like they did today, it makes it really tough for the opposition to keep up. Old school Melo game in this matinee affair at Madison Square Garden.

Holding Home Court:

Clyde always says how the Knicks need to make Madison Square Garden a hostile environment for teams to come and play in. That’s exactly what the boys in blue and orange have done lately, as this was the fourth straight win at the Garden. This was a tough test against an excellent Atlanta Hawks team, a team which plays tough defense and has real talent in Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Dwight Howard, to name a few. The Knicks have shown they enjoy playing in front of the Garden crowd, and it’s important for them to continue to win at home.

The wins on the road will come, but winning in front of a cheering home crowd helps the team’s confidence.

The Portland Trailblazers and their talented backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum take the 2 train from Brooklyn to Penn Station to take on the Knicks this Tuesday night at 7:30.

Another tough test for New York, they’re going to need to bring the tough defense they brought against the Hawks to stop those two dynamic scorers and make it five in a row at home. 6-7.

Is Basketball Back at MSG? Grading the Knicks Offseason – Part 2

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Written by Kevin Meng

Yesterday we broke down the first half of the Knicks offseason.  Now on to the rest of the moves the Knicks made so far this summer.

Signing Courtney Lee to a 4 year, $48 million dollar deal

Not quite sure why Lee chose to play here, but I ain’t mad. In a starting 5 with a scoring forward, a defensive-minded center, the best Latvian big man since Kaspars Kambala, and a penetrating guard with a shaky shot, the one thing this team was lacking was a consistent three ball shooter and wing defender.

Lee has been a positive on the defensive end his whole career, playing bigger than his 6’5, 200lb frame might suggest. He also averaged 39% from bomb territory on 3 attempts per game last season. He was the one of the best shooters on a team that hoisted up the 4th most attempts in the league. With all of the attention on Mr. Anthony, KP, and Rose, he should thrive.

Seeing the deals thrown around for similar players like Kent Bazemore, and the premium put on 3nD wings, signing him for 12 per on average is a great deal. One marker of a good contract is the backend of the deal. A player might be worth their salary in the first two years and grossly overpaid the final two(Luol Deng to the Lakers??), but looking at Lee’s deal, he might even be underpaid in year 3 considering the new cap.

Finding the perfect compliment to the surrounding talent, and doing so on a fair contract? Here’s a big fat A for you, Mr. Jackson.

Grade: A

Signing Joakim Noah to a 4 year, $72 million dollar deal

Not sure if PMFJ still thinks he’s on his hippy retreat in Montana or not, but we have a sinking suspicion that he was on some serious mind altering substances when he signed this deal. When healthy, Noah is a still a very effective defender, good finisher around the rim, and great passer. Add to that his chemistry to Rose and the fact that we didn’t have a center, and the reasons for signing him are obvious. But 4/72 for a guy who can’t stay healthy and is on the downside of his career with a skillset that doesn’t age well? Yeesh.

In this market, players are going to get overpaid. There weren’t many C’s left on the market to get, and even fewer that fit what we needed, but this deal seems more like Phil panicked, realized he needed a C that could pass and be mobile on the court, and blew away the first one he could find with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Noah is still a good player, but he seemed angry at how Chicago did him dirty. Expect a big bounce back from him, but don’t expect him to earn the deal he signed. At least he isn’t Eddy Curry.

Grade: C+

Re-signing Lance Thomas to a 4 year, $27.5 million dollar deal

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