The New York Knicks just got Mitchell Robinson back from injury. But had things gone their way, they would have another center on the team. According to Marc Stein, the Knicks, along with the Lakers, made a big push before the trade deadline to land Walker Kessler. However, much like the Lakers, the Jazz informed the Knicks that the big man was not available for a trade.
"League sources say that the Knicks were right there with the Lakers in their determination before the trade deadline to try to convince Utah to engage in meaningful Walker Kessler trade talks. No dice, though. The Jazz made it clear they wanted no part of entertaining Kessler pitches in-season."
The Knicks have struggled at the center position throughout the season. Mitchell Robinson spent much of the season on the shelf this year. After losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, the Knicks made a massive move for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns is an All-Star who plays at center. However, he had spent the last few seasons playing at power forward, where he was naturally excelling. His defensive weakness has become quite the issue at the center position, forcing Thibodeau and the rest of the Knicks to play elite perimeter defense or pay the price against tough teams.
Furthermore, the Knicks tried playing Jericho Sims some big minutes at the center spot this season, but it didn't work out well, as his inexperience and lack of size came back to haunt them defensively, and led to him being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks at the deadline.
So, the Knicks' pursuit of Kessler makes perfect sense. Adding a young center still on his rookie deal would have helped the team improve greatly while maintaining its cap flexibility. However, the Jazz didn't want to make a desperation move at the deadline and risk losing a big haul this summer for Kessler.
Mitchell Robinson's Return Is A Welcome Sight
Robinson made his return last week for the Knicks after a lengthy injury absence. In his first game back, he put up six points, five rebounds, and one assist while shooting 75% from the field. Given that he played on 12 minutes in his first game back, these numbers will be considered a strong return.
Expect Tom Thibodeau, a coach notorious for playing his roster deep minutes throughout the season, to actually exercise some restraint for once and use Robinson as sparingly as possible. The Knicks are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a 40-20 record. With just 22 games left in the regular season, the Knicks will try to see the season out without Robinson playing heavy minutes.
However, expect him to slowly ramp up his playing time game-by-game, as the Knicks will need him ready to go and in playing shape come playoff time. Trying to compete with the Cavaliers and Celtics means that the Knicks will need a center that can compete physically and pose a threat to Jarrett Allen and Kristaps Porzingis respectively.
