Mitchell Robinson is something of an oddity for the Knicks: a center who can change the offense without scoring a point, writes James L. Edwards III for The Athletic.
Despite opposing teams knowing exactly what Robinson wants to do offensively, he has still found ways to win games for the Knicks in the regular season and playoffs by earning them extra possessions on the offensive glass. Edwards speculates that Robinson’s historic rebounding ability could make him the No. 3 priority on opponent scouting reports, behind only stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
All of that is why Edwards believes that, even with Robinson headed for unrestricted free agency in 2026, the team shouldn’t even consider moving him this season. His ability to give the team additional offensive chances, whether alongside Towns or once the All-NBA center heads to the bench, is too valuable to the Knicks’ championship aspirations this season.
We have more from the Knicks:
- Josh Hart is out for Saturday’s matchup against the Hawks, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (Twitter link). Hart left the Knicks’ Christmas Day win over the Cavaliers early in the fourth quarter after stepping on Dean Wade‘s foot and didn’t return. Miles McBride, who has missed the last seven games with an ankle sprain, is listed as questionable.
- Tyler Kolek had another statement performance for the Knicks on Christmas Day, Bondy writes. Kolek finished the night with 16 points — 11 in the fourth quarter — and nine assists, as well as a critical block on Donovan Mitchell in transition with two minutes to go. “That is winning basketball, and he’s been unreal, so credit to him,” Mitchell said after the game, per Bondy. “I knew it wasn’t a foul as soon as they called it, so no shock there, but credit to him.” The team had previously discussed the need to target backup guards in trades, but the emergence of Kolek should give some pause, in Bondy’s opinion. Still, the team will want to see what the rotation looks like once McBride returns to his usual role.
- Kolek and Robinson weren’t the only Knicks bench players to have a major impact. When the team was “stuck in the mud,” to use coach Mike Brown‘s terminology, Jordan Clarkson came in and got them unstuck, writes Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. Clarkson had his best game of the season, scoring 25 points on 17 shots, while the Knicks outscored the Cavs by 13 in his time on the floor. “The times we were dead in the water, especially early in the game, he was the one guy that was keeping us in it,” Brown said. “First with his offense, he was really, really good for us offensively. And then defensively, he was good too.”
- The Knicks’ depth has been an issue for the last several seasons, but Kolek, Clarkson, and Robinson have taken major strides to ensure that’s not the case this year, writes Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “They change the game. When I was younger, I tried to change the game when I came in off the bench,” said Jalen Brunson. “Tyler’s doing that, Jordan’s been a vet, been around for a long time. He does that every time he’s on the court. And Mitch is being who he is. He just impacts basketball, and so he’s always gonna be impacting the game as well. It’s all about them coming in and changing the game, and that’s their mindset and what they come in and do every single time.” McBride has been a major part of the bench’s success throughout the season, as has Landry Shamet, who is currently out with a shoulder sprain.
Kolsanity has arrived.
I’m getting Ty-chotic for Kol-sanity
Leon knows basketball. He won’t move Mitch. It’s plain to see, for everyone, how much he means to the team and how much he impacts winning.
Kolek’s good play of late is not another another flash in the pan, à la Jeremy Lin. This kid can play and when teams adjust to him, he’ll keep his mindset where it’s always been; his approach is to lead the second unit with hustle and whatever the team needs, be that a basket or timely passing.
Look, I’m not comparing Mitch to someone like Ben Wallace overall, but Robinson does have the same quality where he can significantly impact a game without having to score a point. Dealing him this season would be a mistake, and if the Knicks could get him on a similar dollar contract this offseason, they’ve got to keep him around.
Mitch can get a good deal as a FA. Knicks don’t have a choice but to trade him. With Landry gone. Yabusele not working. They will have to trade him to upgrade. Hukporti can handle backup mins.
They absolutely have a choice, he is not going to command a big trade package, he is an upcoming FA with limited offense who is injury prone. He also single handedly won that game yesterday providing several extra offensive possessions in the 4th qtr. Trading Mitch is something a rebuilding team would do, not a championship contender.
They said the same thing about Quickley.
Financially speaking Knicks can’t keep him. They are at the cap now (2nd apron). Mitch is not taking less than 20-25 mill. His agent is on record of wanting 25 mill. Is this your first game watching Mitch. Knicks bench depth is more important than Mitch as a backup. Especially now with Landry gone and Yabusele not working out.
link to hoopshype.com
Hukporti can not replace, or offer anything close to replacing Mitch. Just stop it.
Al still thinks Frank is a viable PG option
You should know I am way ahead of the curve.
If you invest in Towns. Then that’s what you do. Mitch is a luxury we can’t afford. Especially with bench depleted now.
Towns plays 34 mins a night. You need a calculator to figure it out. Even at the 14 mill he is getting now. We can’t afford to have him. The bench is more important. For a real run.
Kolek is starting to show up. Nice to see. Wish Diadet would too. As well as Kolek is playing. I’m not trusting him on a contender. He will have to do this all year. Unfortunately Feb 5 is trading deadline. Great he is picking up his value. Knicks will have major decisions this TD.
The good news is that the NYK FO doesn’t have enough trade assets to easily screw the pooch here. Of course, any group that came up with the Grimes-BB trade certainly has the potential to try.
Right now, the cross-currents seem to point toward a potential 9 man rotation with the current starting 5 being supplemented by Mitch, McBride, Kolek and Clarkson. Based on the contributions vs salaries of the latter 4, and considering the other NYK trade assets, it’s unlikely they’ll come across any legitimate upgrade opportunities there. Just fool’s gold, which, hopefully, they’ll pass on.
The back 5 of the standard roster (Hukporti, Yabu, Diawara, Dadiet and an injured Shamet) could still benefit from some housekeeping moves. Hopefully they’ll focus on that more limited and doable task. I’d like more size. Someone to do what Yabu might have been expected to do.
I like Kolek and it’s good to see him getting run. Imo Landry is not coming back. Yabusele has to go. But right now he has no value. You know teams are not going to help Knicks. Our best trade assets to upgrade as a team is Mitch, McBride, Kolek, Diadet, Yabusele. In that order. I expect a trade by deadline.
Edwards really going out on a limb with that one. Of course they aren’t moving Mitch because anyone they could get wouldn’t be much of an upgrade (or better fit). And the injury history should keep his price down. No reason not to extend him.
Ultimately, winning a championship involves a lot of luck and fortunate timing on the health front. The Knicks will just have to hope he makes it through a playoff run in one piece.
Agent’s Strategy: Reports suggest his agents have been involved in managing his playing time and “load management” to ensure he remains healthy for the playoffs and for his next contract negotiations, which indicates a focus on maximizing his value on the open market.
Market Value Speculation: Due to his significant injury history, it is difficult to gauge his precise market value, which is confusing for teams and insiders alike. If healthy, league executives have previously projected his value could be in the range of $12-$13 million annually, with some more recent analysis suggesting it could reach $18-25 million per year for an elite defender and rebounder.
The “Story”: The underlying narrative is a high-stakes bet on Robinson’s health. His agents appear keen to explore the open market to see if a team with cap space will offer a lucrative, long-term deal that the Knicks, constrained by salary cap rules, might be unwilling to match.
link to nypost.com
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link to sny.tv
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He should only play once a week and focus on conditioning and strength training to.avood injuries until the playoffs – heck, until the 3rd, 4th or 5th game of a series. Play Hukporti as the backup center. Another insurance C in the Biyombo mold and that’s it.
We can’t rely on Mitch to play a consistent role on the team, but trading him wouldn’t net an equal return. We can’t afford to lose pieces in the playoffs again because he gets injured again.
If we can play him, that’s good. But if we can’t, we shouldn’t lose much if we plan correctly