Not sure if anyone is as anxious as I am when it comes to whether the New York Knicks are going to be “ok” or not with Mitchell Robinson missing the next 4-6 weeks while he recovers from a fractured hand.
Nerlens Noel is a great temporary replacement and Taj Gibson is a consummate professional who prides himself on defense, so the Knicks should be fine in Robinson’s absence. The fact remains, the Knicks are trying to make the playoffs this season and they can ill afford any lapses in playing at as high a level as they have been since the beginning of the year. They don’t have 2 or 3 superstars that can give them 30 or 40 points on any given night, so therefore they need to be locked and loaded for 48 minutes of every single game moving forward.
(Editor’s note: This was written before our very own Julius Randle exploded for 44 points against the Atlanta Hawks)
I’ve personally explored the idea of the Knicks making several different trades to try to bolster the 5-spot while Mitch’s hand heals up but realistically, any move the Knicks make must be a calculated one. They must not make the same mistakes as previous front offices by jumping the gun and making crummy decisions on the fly out of desperation. While trades are a lot of fun to watch play out, New York should stay the course and only make a move when they’re on the “winning side” of the deal.
The Knicks should sniff around and see what these free agents still have to offer
Another idea to help the Knicks’ center rotation may be looking to the free agency pool. While trading may bring back a far superior talent in return, grabbing someone in free agency should be the way to go as it would cost nothing but a little bit of cap space and a roster spot. A veteran free agent would also come in and be able to contribute from day 1 as the player would most likely have a decent amount of experience in the league and would force both Noel and Gibson to step their games up a bit.
Here we’ll explore 3 potential Knicks free agent signings.