The news on Mitchell Robinson just got a whole lot worse.
The Knicks’ starting center is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery last week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported after Wednesday’s 121-102 win over the Nets in Brooklyn. The Knicks already have applied to the NBA for a Disabled Player Exception worth $7.8 million for salary-cap purposes, according to the report.
The Knicks had said last week that Robinson, who is in the second season of a four-year contract worth $60 million, would be sidelined at least eight to 10 weeks.
The 25-year-old Robinson leads the NBA this season with 5.3 offensive rebounds per game, and his 10.3 rebounds overall represent a career high.
He also missed significant time in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons following foot and hand surgeries.
The crushing news comes with the Knicks down to two healthy centers, with third-year big man Jericho Sims to be reevaluated in seven to 10 days after suffering a sprained right ankle in Monday’s game against the Lakers.
Backup big man Isaiah Hartenstein made his first start of the season Wednesday night, finishing the game with two points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 29 minutes.
Veteran Taj Gibson saw his most extensive playing time off the bench since re-signing with the Knicks last week after Robinson went down, logging 13 minutes.
Sims had started the previous five games before turning his ankle in the first quarter of Monday’s road victory over the Lakers.
The 38-year-old Gibson played last season with the Wizards after spending the previous three years with the Knicks. He also has played for Tom Thibodeau-coached teams with the Bulls and the Timberwolves.
“Brooklyn’s Finest. What can you say about him? That’s who he is,” Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s game about Gibson. “Look, if he didn’t play a second he would still be contributing, because he’s the ultimate pro. He’s a great teammate. He’ll do whatever you ask of him. You could start him, bring him off the bench, he could not be in the rotation. And he’s gonna find a positive way to impact the team.
“And if he’s not playing, he’s got great energy. He’s upbeat, positive, and I think that goes a long way with your team. It’s great for our young guys to see. It’s not an accident that he’s played this long. He was terrific.”
Thibodeau also said before the game that he has considered employing smaller lineups involving power forward Julius Randle or even 6-foot-4 wing Josh Hart at center, depending on matchups.
“He could. You could completely downsize,” Thibodeau said of Hart. “He has the ability to guard every position. Particularly, it depends who they have on the floor, too. So that factors into it.”
Hart has been serving as Randle’s backup at power forward this season after Obi Toppin was traded in the offseason.
