SPANISH HARLEM – We are less than a week away from the start of training camp for the New York Knicks and as the excitement builds toward the season, fans got some bad news recently. There are reports that Mitchell Robinson will start the season on the injured list and may not come back until December or January. Let’s look at what this means for the Knicks today and in the near future.
The Knicks currently have Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa as the backup centers, with 2024 draft pick, Ariel Hukporti next in line. That is not the most intimidating group, but we have seen Tom Thibodeau work wonders before with the center position. The coach will get them to do exactly what he wants… or they won’t be playing much.
Sims has had his moments but was considered raw the last seasons only getting sparing playing time, with an occasion start here and there. We saw Precious play well down the stretch for the Knicks, especially when he started as both Robinson and Hartenstein were out of the lineup due to injuries. Achiuma provided the rebounding and versatile defense needed to allow the team to not miss a beat. Between the both of them, can they provide enough of what is needed while we all wait on Robinson is yet to be seen.
There are potential trades the Knicks can make with a ton of names floating around. History shows we won’t know what they are up to until a deal is officially made. There are some names that I like more than others but that also means potentially giving up someone like Miles McBride, which I am not ready to do right now but call me in a couple of months, I may change my mind.
My guess is that the Knicks will continue to talk with teams and pounce if they find a trade they like. I feel it’s too early to be desperate on the trade market but that may change after a couple of weeks into the season. Sims and Achiuwa will be expected to fit right in, and all signs point to that happening. You start the season to see what you have and then plan accordingly.
That’s it for now, please come back tomorrow for Action Jackson Sternberg.
