Knicks lose key starter to multiple-month injury
Oct 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
After double-digit losses in back-to-back games, the bottom is really starting to fall out for the New York Knicks.
The Knicks announced Monday that starting center Mitchell Robinson is set to undergo surgery on his left ankle this week. As a result, Robinson will miss extended time and will be re-evaluated in eight-to-ten weeks.
Losing the seven-footer Robinson for two months or more stinks. He is the Knicks’ best rebounder and interior defender. Robinson also has some strong pick-and-roll chemistry with their primary ball-handlers Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett.
The good news for the Knicks is that they have a very capable and multi-talented center in Isaiah Hartenstein who can move from the bench into the starting lineup to replace Robinson. High-leaping big man Jericho Sims can also be expected to re-enter the rotation. But losing Robinson, recently the subject of a very heartwarming story, until February or March could really hurt the Knicks’ chances of getting a top-six seed and avoiding the play-in.
