Steve Popper: Mitchell Robinson's tenure with Knicks should be remembered fondly despite his new uniform
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla hugs Mitchell Robinson during a timeout in a game against the Pistons on Tuesday in Detroit, MI. Credit: Getty Images/Gregory Shamus
GREENBURGH — The NBA, like most sports, has become immersed in analytical minutiae, statistics pored over and dissected until opinions are made — and maybe even roster and contract decisions formed. It's become like fantasy basketball.
But when you ask the Knicks about Mitchell Robinson, his loss in free agency, his contributions on the court and the challenge that they will face Friday night when they meet him and his new team, the Boston Celtics, they mostly talk about what we don’t see.
Sure, there was the rebound - maybe a play that would stick in Knicks lore if it didn't come days after OG Anunoby’s tip-in. The biggest offensive rebound in recent history is not quite as sexy as Anunoby’s soaring Game 4 heroics. But as the longest-tenured Knick on the championship team, it was the other things. The country sensibility, the monster trucks, and the constant humor that lightened the pressure for a team that was constantly under the spotlight.
“It’s definitely different,” Josh Hart said. “Obviously that’s someone who’s had a big presence here, big presence in the locker room...No one else listens to country [music] but me, so that’s tough in the weight room. The lack of his presence is obviously felt a little bit. That’s why it’s a new team.”
It’s certainly an adjustment to life without Robinson, who was a casualty of the edict from ownership to remain below the second apron of the salary cap — the lone rotation piece lost after the championship run. But just one game into the new season, the Knicks will go head-to-head against him. And that’s just odd in so many ways.
Robinson wasn’t a starter last season, and for much of his career he’s battled injuries as much as opponents. But when the Knicks gathered for training camp, to a man they expressed sadness at seeing him depart.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who is now embroiled in a contract standoff himself. “Because you love Mitch. We’ve done so much historical things together here. And to not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore, obviously, for all of us, we’re a family unit. You guys are around us every day, you know how much we care about each other, each other’s families, and to not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is obviously bittersweet.
“But it’s gonna be amazing to be able to see our brother. To hug him, be able to show him some love and to obviously compete playing basketball, like we love to do.”
It’s hard to say that the Knicks felt the loss on Opening Night, even as both they and the Celtics suffered disappointing losses to kick off the season. Andre Drummond, signed to replace Robinson at a much lower price, was the Knicks best player in the first half, as he piled up 10 points and 12 rebounds in nearly 18 minutes. He was forced into action because of Towns' early foul trouble. Drummond would finish with 14 rebounds, 12 points and four assists. Robinson played just 18 minutes in Boston’s loss to Detroit, finishing with four points, three rebounds and a scare after turning his ankle in the first half.
But if anyone knows what Robinson can do to disrupt a game, finish lobs at the rim, dominate the offensive glass and serve as a defensive anchor, it is the Knicks — and maybe most of all Towns, who had to battle with him in practice the last two years.
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun because we always competed at a high level in practice,” Towns said. “We made each other better. He brought the best out of me, and I feel that I was able to bring the best out of him. To win a championship together, iron sharpens iron. For us to go to into practice every single day looking to how we can make each other better, how we could sharpen each other’s skills and mentality, is why we won a championship.
"Mitch was a big part of this team winning a championship and probably has the most important offensive rebound in Knicks history.”
That offensive rebound, to help secure Game 5 of the NBA Finals in the final seconds, should be remembered fondly when you spot him in the Celtics green and white. Robinson was a part of the Knicks turnaround, one of the few pieces that was there from the 17-win season in 2018-19 to the long-awaited title.
For his part, Robinson is focusing on the present. Speaking to reporters in Boston Thursday, he said, “It doesn't matter that I'm playing my former team. It’s more so just trying to bounce back from what happened two days ago. It’s basketball, it's a business. Got to play the team just like you play any other team.”
He was then asked if he watched the ring ceremony and admitted, “I didn’t watch it. I mean, I was still stuck in my head … I’m proud of those guys. Obviously I was a part of it. Didn’t really want to watch it.”
“You're excited for anybody that's able to help their situation or family, in life, and Boston gave him a nice deal,” Mike Brown said. “And so, you want nothing but the best for him because you know him, and he's a great, great, great dude. But you wanna beat him at the end of the day.
"So it's gonna be exciting to see him because of the type of person he is and what we all went through together last year. But at the end of the day, we want to kick his [butt] like he probably wants to kick ours.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
