12 Names of Mitch-Miss; How Knicks Can Replace Mitchell Robinson Beyond Isaiah Hartenstein
The New York Knicks have been painted into quite a corner.
Whether he returns this season or not, the team is destined to be missing primary center Mitchell Robinson for quite a while. Dealing with an ankle injury, Robinson was originally projected to miss 8-to-10 weeks but a report from Shams Charania hinted that the Knicks planned to use a Disabled Player Exception to recoup about half of Robinson's $15 million salary, a move that can only be enacted if the player in question is out for the season.
While Robinson was never one to help light up the scoreboard (averaging a career-low 6.2 points before his injury), Robinson is making a classic MVP case with his lack of participation: the Knicks (16-12) have proven capable of prevailing in shootouts thanks to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle but there's no doubt that the team has taken a step back defensively: entering this month, the Knicks were second in the NBA in points against per game at 105.4. That number has ballooned to 122 in the seven games Robinson has missed and the Knicks' rebounding advantage has also been trimmed to less than one.
Isaiah Hartenstein seems like a decent option to linger among the starting five, even if the Knicks lose some firepower off the bench with his emergency entry. Beyond that, however, the Knicks are set to go with Jericho Sims (whose New York career feels like it's hanging by a thread) and 38-year-old Taj Gibson, a recurring Tom Thibodeau disciple called off the free agency list last week.
Forget stocking stuffers ... the Knicks may need paint stuffers. With that in mind, All Knicks compiles a dozen potential options for this not-so-Merry Mitch-miss ...
Bismack Biyombo
Talk about a good Christmas redemption story: entering the NBA's Christmas festivities, the Knicks rank third in second chance points this season, thanks to part to Robinson, one of two players to earn 100 offensive rebounds this season as last week got underway. One of Robinson's fellow lingering traditional centers left in the modern Association, Biyombo is flourishing on a non-fully guaranteed prove-it deal in Memphis, pulling in 6.7 per game (his best output since 2017). Biyombo was keeping pace with Robinson in terms of the offensive boards in the early going, hauling in 30 over his first five appearances.
Seth Wenig USA TODAY SPORTS
Clint Capela
Capela is another fit that seems to make sense purely by serendipity: joining Robinson in the century club for offensive boards was Capela, a New York nemesis from the 2021 playoffs. Unlike most deadline offerings, Capela still has a year left on his deal as the signer of a $45 million extension but as Atlanta continues to inch closer toward oblivion, they could be swayed to move Capela's pricey deal. The Knicks are also well capable of moving/matching salaries: $18.9 million alone could come from Evan Fournier's unused contract.
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Andre Drummond
If the Knicks are going to trade for a potential needle-shifter, the Chicago Bulls seem like the best bet. For the time being, it's perhaps best to put dreams of DeMar DeRozan and/or Zach LaVine aside and turn the focus to Drummond. Like Robinson and Biyombo, Drummond has continued to work out a professional existence as a traditional center, leading the Association in rebounds on four occasions. Drummond is nowhere near as dominant as he was in his Detroit-based youth but as 6.8 rebounds a game in just over 13 minutes of action, the Knicks would certainly be grateful to have him. Chicago might have the perfect candidate in free-agent-to-be Nikola Vucevic but the Bulls have been somewhat stubborn, if not a tad delusional, in their postseason visions. Unless the bottom completely falls out, Drummond is probably the most realistic Chicago import.
JaMychal Green
At this point of the season, scouring the free agent market for a potential difference-maker is like getting a Christmas gift at CVS: a desperate last resort that probably won't satisfy anyone. Though nowhere near the rebounder that Robinson is, Green, 33, has at least proven he's capable of working well in a pinch: he was called upon to make a couple of unexpected starts in Golden State's most recent playoff run, notably posting a 6-of-9 outing in a second-round win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Debby Wong /USA Today
Blake Griffin
The biggest winner of adding Griffin will be those who make their social media currency playing the sarcastic "Knicks Legend (Insert NBA star who played a handful of games with the organization here)" game. Popular entries likely include Tracy McGrady and Metta World Peace. But Griffin, who has not officially retired, showed he had just a little left in the tank with the Boston Celtics last season, notably averaging 4.7 rebounds in his final nine appearances of the season (over 12 minutes a game).
Nerlens Noel
As long as the Knicks are bringing back characters from the start of the decade, why not add Noel to the cause? Injuries, including plantar fasciitis during the latter of two seasons with the Knicks, have prevented the sixth pick of the 2013 draft from any form of consistency. It's nonetheless surprising to see the 29-year-old, last seen on Sacramento's training camp roster, lingering on the free agency board. Noel's departure from the Knicks was initiated on draft in 2022, helping them build a cabinet of assets for a game-changing trade. Noel isn't that difference-maker but there may be few more attainable options on the market capable of at least partly maintaining Robinson's production.
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Kelly Olynyk
The Knicks passed on one major opportunity to trade with the Utah Jazz. Adding Olynyk, of course, would hardly compare to picking up Donovan Mitchell but he could be a name to keep an eye on come deadline season with his contract set to expire. The well-traveled Olynyk is nowhere near the defender that Robinson was but he could help the Knicks' abilities in potential shootouts: though his tries and opportunities are admittedly down, Olynyk is on face for the finest shooting rate of his career, and he's currently at over 42 percent from three-point range.
Alonzo Adams, USA TODAY SPORTS
Isaiah Roby
Despite its muted nature, the signing of Roby stands as one of the more curious Knicks transactions in recent memory: he was granted a full salary upon signing on the final day of last year's regular season but wound up becoming one of the early cuts of the early fall's roster cutdowns. Roby has shown flashes of potential amidst rebuilds in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, notably averaging over 10 points in 48 games with the Thunder in 2021-22. Current averages of 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks lead Westchester regulars through Friday's Showcase Cup in-season competition final.
Dmytro Skapintsev
Without the benefit of draft picks, Knicks fans have had to find off-the-wall ways to entertain themselves during Summer League play in Las Vegas. One of those methods presented itself in the form of Skapintsev, a Ukranian-born big man who has lingered on Westchester's ledgers over the last two seasons. Though lean at 215 lbs., Skapintsev impressed with two double-figure showings off the bench in five Las Vegas outings and is currently averaging 4.5 rebounds (and 1.2 blocks) in just over 18 minutes a game in the G League. The Knicks recently adjusted their 10-day contracts to add Skapintsev, who made his NBA debut in Saturday's loss to Milwaukee.
Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jacob Toppin
Since joining the Knicks' system as an undrafted free agent, Toppin has insisted he's not his older brother Obi. There would perhaps be no better way to prove that than by embracing the traditional duties of a center/power forward. Obi's attempt to attack all over the floor was admirable and perhaps even necessary considering he became almost immediately expendable thanks to Julius Randle's breakout. But that's now what the Knicks needed, they need interior defense, which Jacob has brought during his Westchester affairs (98.5 defensive rating). Jacob isn't much larger than Josh Hart (10 lbs. light at 205) but his 6-9 frame could help them at least tread water.
P.J. Tucker
Heading into this season, it was widely assumed that Tucker would be moving at some point. That expected transaction came to pass, as he and James Harden were moved west in an early blockbuster between Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Clippers. But Tucker, the oldest player in the NBA not named LeBron James, has fallen off the SoCal radar, having been sat in each of the past dozen games with no end in sight. Tucker is nowhere near the producer he was in the establishing of a long-term career but his veteran wisdom could prove invaluable, as could his durability: at 37, Tucker played and started 75 games for the 76ers last season.
James Wiseman
The woebegone, rudderless Detroit Pistons' problems go far beyond a historic 26-game losing streak: the Pistons are more or less losing out in a draft where there's no presumed, consensus game-changer and they're packed to the brim with traditional center types in an era where the position is dying. In his own list of trade candidates, The Athletic's Fred Katz outlined several potential Detroiters who could appear on the Knicks' radar. Most of their paint dwellers have packed with established issues, but he notes that Wiseman "(has) yet to prove he can contribute to a winning team." A deal with the Knicks, however, could prove to be an effective trial by fire that either makes or breaks his career.
