Willy Hernangomez is taking the line from “The Dark Knight” — “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” — to heart. The one-time fan favorite may become a sworn Garden enemy with comments like these.
“Now my job,” he said of close friend Kristaps Porzingis, “is to maybe get him here for the Hornets.”
Of course, the former Knick was kidding. He laughed as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He repeatedly said he hopes for the best for the Knicks, the organization that gave him his first shot. The 6-foot-11 Spaniard doesn’t hold a grudge.
If anything, he appreciates the Knicks giving him a fresh start by trading him to the Hornets last year when it became clear his future wasn’t with them.
“I think we made the right choice,” he said before playing just four minutes in the Hornets’ 119-107 win over the Knicks on Sunday night. “Being new in Charlotte, I think my future is going to be bright here for the Hornets.”
That’s not to say he doesn’t miss New York. He loves coming back, especially to see Porzingis. The two have remained close, talking on the phone a few times per week. Hernangomez isn’t sure when Porzingis, his former teammate with the Knicks and Baloncesto Sevilla in Spain’s Liga ACB, will return to the court after tearing his ACL last February, but he said his friend is in good spirits.