fishmike wrote:Its a smart add. He's a great example of how high BB IQ becomes really relevant when there is talent on the floor. In years past we needed a guy like Plumlee to play like a starter or its bust, but with guys like Jennings, Rose, KP, Melo... when you figure 2 of those guys will be on the floor most times it means the role players can truly be role players and lets the more talented guys create. Guys like Plumlee know how to feed into that. And not just because of stiff white guy thing but he does remind me of Chris Dudley. Remember they called him Dr. Crash for hitting the boards? Dudley was limited skill wise, but he when he was on the floor he was constantly setting picks or running around for a good angle to crash the boards. He was a PITA for the other team when he came off the bench and there was a reason he was a crowd fav. Plumlee def brings those intangibles. Just like he needs talented guys to make him better, in turn he make the talented guys better as well because he's such a blue collar lunch pail guy he goes some of their dirty work.

BTW I see the exact same traits in Willy, and I view him as more skilled, better and much longer. Plumlee has alligator arms. His wingspan measured at 6'9 vs. Willy's 7'2

I see Willy as a potential center next to KP for a decade. Their games are so complimentary and their friendship is visible on the court. Obviously Willy has some ways to come but I like what I see so far. We need a 3rd center with this mix as lets face it... we all expect Noah on the shelf at some point, and even if he's not it makes total sense to keep his minutes low and let the young legs get burn.

One trend is that Phil seems to do a good job getting bigs that fit. Lopez, KP, Willy, Noah, Plumlee... I have liked what he's done there.

I think the Plumlee-Dudely comparison is a good one, didn't Chris also have T-Rex arms?

Do you think Willy/KP front line has enough of a defensive potential? I don't see that yet and that is my only worry. Both would compliment each other on the other end of the court very nicely.

martin wrote:

fishmike wrote:Its a smart add. He's a great example of how high BB IQ becomes really relevant when there is talent on the floor. In years past we needed a guy like Plumlee to play like a starter or its bust, but with guys like Jennings, Rose, KP, Melo... when you figure 2 of those guys will be on the floor most times it means the role players can truly be role players and lets the more talented guys create. Guys like Plumlee know how to feed into that. And not just because of stiff white guy thing but he does remind me of Chris Dudley. Remember they called him Dr. Crash for hitting the boards? Dudley was limited skill wise, but he when he was on the floor he was constantly setting picks or running around for a good angle to crash the boards. He was a PITA for the other team when he came off the bench and there was a reason he was a crowd fav. Plumlee def brings those intangibles. Just like he needs talented guys to make him better, in turn he make the talented guys better as well because he's such a blue collar lunch pail guy he goes some of their dirty work.

BTW I see the exact same traits in Willy, and I view him as more skilled, better and much longer. Plumlee has alligator arms. His wingspan measured at 6'9 vs. Willy's 7'2

I see Willy as a potential center next to KP for a decade. Their games are so complimentary and their friendship is visible on the court. Obviously Willy has some ways to come but I like what I see so far. We need a 3rd center with this mix as lets face it... we all expect Noah on the shelf at some point, and even if he's not it makes total sense to keep his minutes low and let the young legs get burn.

One trend is that Phil seems to do a good job getting bigs that fit. Lopez, KP, Willy, Noah, Plumlee... I have liked what he's done there.

I think the Plublee-Dudely comparison is a good one, didn't Chris also have T-Rex arms?

Do you think Willy/KP front line has enough of a defensive potential? I don't see that yet and that is my only worry. Both would compliment each other on the other end of the court very nicely.

May 29, 2015
Scouting report by Matt Kamalsky, video breakdown by Mike Schmitz

Emerging as one of the top rebounders in the ACB this season, Guillermo “Willy” Hernangomez has solidified himself as one of the top center prospects in Europe, averaging 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per-game for EuroCup participants Sevilla.

A staple of the Spanish Junior National Teams for the last five years, Hernangomez has been a steady contributor inside at the youth level. He had his best performance at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, averaging 26.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per 40 to rank among the top-10 performers in both categories. Growing up playing for Real Madrid, Hernangomez made his ACB and Euroleague debuts in 2012, but played primarily for the Spanish powerhouse's second team in the fourth division until the 2013-2014 season. Fresh off his performance at the U19 World Championship, Hernangomez extended his contract with Real Madrid that summer, subsequently being loaned to Sevilla where he saw rotation minutes at the ACB level for the first time last season.

Staying on loan with Sevilla this season, Hernangomez has made the most of his opportunity to grow into a reliable center competing against quality competition. Turning 21 later this year, the last two seasons have been formative ones for the young center, who to that point, was largely untested at the senior level. Ranking as one of Sevilla's top scorers in ACB play, functioning as their primary post up weapon, and being the main big man stepping out to set screens in their pick and roll heavy offense, the young center has matured considerably in a fairly short span, part of the reason the Madrid native opted to take a serious run at the 2015 NBA Draft instead of waiting until he would be automatically eligible next summer.

(Video may not load with Internet Explorer. Use Chrome or Firefox)

Standing 6'11 with a 7'1.5 wingspan and a 255-pound frame, Hernangomez has nice size for a center. He's not a particularly explosive athlete, but moves fairly well for his size and has plenty of potential to continue getting stronger.

Hernangomez's physical profile, coupled with his budding offensive skill level makes him a serviceable, fairly well-rounded offensive center, even if he still has plenty of room to grow. Half of Hernangomez's possessions come from a balanced diet of post ups and rolls to rim, with another significant portion of his offensive production coming from cuts and put backs. He was the only player in the ACB to use 80 total possessions in both situations according to Synergy Sports Technology—evidence of how his ability to exploit his size and mobility helped him on the offensive end.

In the post, the near 7-footer does his best work before the catch. Able to simply bury defenders under the rim times, he makes things easy for himself inside by being physical. More than just a bully, Hernangomez possesses good touch, uses fakes well, and has a variety of moves he uses to score over either shoulder with his back to the basket. Shooting a solid, but not spectacular 44.7% from the block, he struggles to score over length at times and has plenty of room to tighten up his one-on-one scoring repertoire. Nonetheless, his footwork and the variety of moves in his arsenal leave some room for optimism about his ability to create for himself at the NBA level.

Leading the ACB in points scored rolling to the rim this season, Herangomez gets around 61% of his field goal attempts in finishing situations around the basket, and coincidentally shoots an impressive 61% on those looks. Presenting a big target diving to the rim and making a nice effort to keep the ball alive crashing the offensive glass, the young big man does a great job moving without the ball in his hands showing good timing and a craftiness finishing inside that you don't often see from players his age. A mostly below the rim player, it will be interesting to see if Hernangomez's explosiveness improves as his body continues to mature, as he will likely face some growing pains adapting to the athleticism of NBA defenders.

Though he only made 33% of the 40 jump shots he attempted this season, Hernangomez also has some upside as a shooter. He shot 72% from the line this season and the touch he flashes away from the rim could allow him to become a serviceable midrange shooter and pick and pop threat down the rim.

On the whole, Hernangomez's 53.7% field goal percentage and 13.4% offensive rebound percentage rank 3rd and 6th in the ACB respectively. For a player just two years removed from the EBA, he's shown terrific promise on the offensive end. He isn't without his faults, however, as his 3.9 turnover per 40 minutes reflect his struggles as a passer. He's actually not all that turnover prone operating one-on-one in the post, with many of his turnovers resulting from mistakes on the perimeter or simply from poor execution.

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Hernangomez's biggest weaknesses come on the defensive end. He's a below average rim protector who struggles a bit with the fundamentals at this stage. Hernangomez's foot speed gives him some upside as a pick and roll defender and he should improve his understanding on this end as he gains experience, but his lack of length and athleticism limits his potential as an individual defender regardless. He benefited this season playing alongside Kristaps Porzingis, who provides the ideal shot blocking presence from the power forward position to help compensate for his limitations.

He's also just an average defensive rebounder. His below average explosiveness hurts him as he doesn't gain position well enough as soon as the shot goes up to get by on instincts alone.

Martin I can only say I like what I see. I would reserve judgment on his defense to year 3, give or take. Its going to be slowest part of his game to evolve, but time will tell.

fishmike wrote:Its a smart add. He's a great example of how high BB IQ becomes really relevant when there is talent on the floor. In years past we needed a guy like Plumlee to play like a starter or its bust, but with guys like Jennings, Rose, KP, Melo... when you figure 2 of those guys will be on the floor most times it means the role players can truly be role players and lets the more talented guys create. Guys like Plumlee know how to feed into that. And not just because of stiff white guy thing but he does remind me of Chris Dudley. Remember they called him Dr. Crash for hitting the boards? Dudley was limited skill wise, but he when he was on the floor he was constantly setting picks or running around for a good angle to crash the boards. He was a PITA for the other team when he came off the bench and there was a reason he was a crowd fav. Plumlee def brings those intangibles. Just like he needs talented guys to make him better, in turn he make the talented guys better as well because he's such a blue collar lunch pail guy he does some of their dirty work.

From what I remember, Dudley was a crowd favorite at MSG because we have a history of making crowd favorites out of really low talent goobers; Eddie Lee Wilkins, Glen Gondrezik, Renaldo Balkman. What's next? Warm, tear-filled memories of Greg Butler??

I don't know why you would want to make happy horse**** Plumlee comparisons to someone who's greatest claim to fame as a Knick was the ability to consistently break every law of physics at the free throw line...and him a Yale man no less.

I for one sure hope Plumlee isn't the next Chris Dudley. Unless he ends up playing for Brooklyn.

smackeddog wrote:

NYKBocker wrote:He really does remind me of Chris Dudley. Dr. Crash! Forgot about that nickname. LJ loved Dudley too. He was out there to protect and clean the boards. Something I am hoping plumlee will do.

I used to like Durley, but man that Shaq's balls-to-the-face dunk was humiliating to watch! Possibly the most degrading dunk of all time.

Still think it's this one. Dudley at least fought back and Shaq fouled him twice on the play and then threw him to the ground. I hate Shaq's style of basketball so much. It degraded the sport.

But yeah, Weis getting dunked over is the most degrading. And he knew it and knew he could never come to the NBA.

Knixkik wrote:

fishmike wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

fishmike wrote:Its a smart add. He's a great example of how high BB IQ becomes really relevant when there is talent on the floor. In years past we needed a guy like Plumlee to play like a starter or its bust, but with guys like Jennings, Rose, KP, Melo... when you figure 2 of those guys will be on the floor most times it means the role players can truly be role players and lets the more talented guys create. Guys like Plumlee know how to feed into that. And not just because of stiff white guy thing but he does remind me of Chris Dudley. Remember they called him Dr. Crash for hitting the boards? Dudley was limited skill wise, but he when he was on the floor he was constantly setting picks or running around for a good angle to crash the boards. He was a PITA for the other team when he came off the bench and there was a reason he was a crowd fav. Plumlee def brings those intangibles. Just like he needs talented guys to make him better, in turn he make the talented guys better as well because he's such a blue collar lunch pail guy he does some of their dirty work.

From what I remember, Dudley was a crowd favorite at MSG because we have a history of making crowd favorites out of really low talent goobers; Eddie Lee Wilkins, Glen Gondrezik, Renaldo Balkman. What's next? Warm, tear-filled memories of Greg Butler??

I don't know why you would want to make happy horse**** Plumlee comparisons to someone who's greatest claim to fame as a Knick was the ability to consistently break every law of physics at the free throw line...and him a Yale man no less.

I for one sure hope Plumlee isn't the next Chris Dudley. Unless he ends up playing for Brooklyn.

Not true at all. Dudley was an excellent back up for the Knicks for those couple of years. It part what the crowd loved was with Ewing out it meant more guard play, ball movement and wild shots with Dudley crashing the boards. It was a nice switch from Ewing's drag it out half court.

+1.

We can only hope Plumlee ends up being the next Dudley. Dudley was a solid backup center who even put up some big rebounding numbers as a starter in his 20s. He played until his late 30s and was a quality player everywhere he played. I honestly can't see Plumlee becoming Dudley, i think it's his absolute best-case scenario, but if he does, he will be a nice backup center to have for many years to come.

NYKBocker wrote:

jrodmc wrote:Greatest Dudley line I've ever read:
http://www.ultimateknicks.com/forum/topic.asp?t=197

That's why bip is back!! He finally delivered the search function!!

I think it's still in beta. I'm still just working backward from the first page of the forum.
I'm sure we'll see that search function before the All Star Break.

No pressure, Bip