Enes Kanter has missed the New York Knicks’ past three games with back spasms, and while the team hopes to welcome him back to the fold against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, he return re-accentuates a problem they’ve had all season: The roster is stocked with too many damn bigs
Kanter’s absence didn’t really serve as a cure-all. It merely allowed Hornacek to carve out some additional playing time for the buried Willy Hernangomez and the rusty Joakim Noah. But with Kanter on the mend, Hornacek is back to square one, trying to figure out how he incorporates all three of these bigs, plus Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle O’Quinn.
His answer? Well, he doesn’t have one yet.
From the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
Jeff Hornacek was vague about how the rotation will take shape.
“Jo did good,” he said. “We do have four guys at that [spot]. I’ve talked to him about it, how the rotation is going to go. He’s just going to continue to work on his game and always be ready.”
Asked if he had given any thought to sending Hernangomez to the G League, Hornacek said: “I don’t think we’ve discussed that so far. As we move forward, if we’re back with Enes and Kyle, and maybe even Jo occasionally, we are going to need to figure that out. I don’t know if we can always dress four bigs.”
Hornacek says “four” bigs, but he really means five. Porzingis is a big, even if the Knicks seldom count him as one. But whatever.
Dressing all four of Noah, Hernangomez, O’Quinn and Kanter is indeed a challenge, particularly if New York still wants to use Lance Thomas a full-time 4. Hornacek will have to make some tough decisions if the Knicks don’t strike any trades. And chances are the front office won’t be working this problem out for the team. No one is trading for Joakim Noah, and Enes Kanter isn’t exactly a valuable trade chip at $20.6 million this year and $18.6 million next. O’Quinn could be moved, but he’s been the team’s most impactful defender; they’ll never capitalize on his value at his cheap price point. Hernangomez is certainly movable as well, but then the Knicks are giving up on a 20-something building block who also happens to be friends with Porzingis.
Expect things to remain the same until a more definitive solution presents itself: Kanter and Porzingis will start, with O’Quinn as the third big, while Noah and Hernangomez duke it out for the right to wear a uniform instead of street clothes.
