From his hospital bed in Manhattan at the Hospital of Special Surgery on Wednesday, a masked Mitchell Robinson tweeted an edifying video with a bold prediction.
As the Knicks prepared for Magic in their morning shootaround at the Amway Center, the Knicks’ pivot seemed in a good mood after successful surgery on his right hand.
“Thank you for all the prayers you have been sending me,” he said. “I really needed this. It’s my first, having already done that. I will be back soon better than ever. Go Knicks. “
Robinson broke his right hand on Julius Randle’s elbow on Friday in Washington in the first half and will likely fail for nearly six weeks. It will be reevaluated after the All-Star Break around March 10.
Robinson left the Wizards’ game in the third quarter and the Knicks won the match in a rout. They had two impressive wins, and their three-game winning streak led the club to 14-15 in the Magic game on Wednesday.
The new center Nerlens Noel will have his hands full on Wednesday with Orlando center Nikola Vucevic, averaging 23.7 points and 11.4 rebounds for the Magic 10-18.
Taj Gibson, who played for Thibodeau in Minnesota and Chicago, is the reserve center as the Knicks decide whether to add someone to the squad.
Noel and Gibson are also likely to face Orlando’s downtown Mo Bamba, which may be in action on Wednesday against Gibson. Bamba may be a future commercial target. The New York native and the fifth choice in the 2018 NBA Draft has yet to make his mark in Orlando.
Bamba is in and out of rotation, playing only 12 games this season. Bamba is 22 years old and the Knicks wanted to negotiate in this draft to obtain the ex-Texas star Longhorns. The Lakers are also interested.
The Knicks had internal conversations about free agent Norvel Pelle’s bullet-blocking center, which was recently hired by the Nets but was released this week.
The Cavaliers are desperately trying to sell the Andre Drummond center for rent. He’s a free agent this summer. The Mount Vernon resident, the Post reported, could return home, but the Knicks could easily wait until he became a free agent without giving up his assets.
If the Knicks hired a player, they would have to cut someone to make room. The two main candidates to be dismissed are PG Jared Harper, who has a bidirectional contract and injured his ankle last week in the G League, and Ignas Brazdeikis in the second round, also in the G League.
Noel and the rest of the team are in contact with Robinson.
“We all got a group message,” said Noel. “We all reached out to him. I told him prayers. Everyone is so close on this team. Everyone is getting closer. I will be by your side throughout the process. I definitely want him to come back strong. He’s in a good mood, for sure. He made us laugh at that group text. ”
It was not all melancholy and doom after losing his blocking / alley-oop threat. Noel shone through a solid second half in Monday’s victory over Atlanta, despite having made five fouls in the final 8.40am.
In the preseason, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Noel, a 2013 lottery pick, brings many of the same skills as Robinson.
Continuity has been the key to the Knicks’ relative success, which puts them in sixth place in the miserable Eastern Conference, where only four clubs have more than 0.500. The Knicks are trying to reach that 0.500 mark on Wednesday.
Over the first 27 games, the Knicks had four of the same starters with Robinson central manning. In 22 of the first 27 games, they had the same five starters – all players returning from last season’s David Fizdale / Mike Miller group.
Knicks’ first-year coach Tom Thibodeau only changed when he fired point guard Reggie Bullock with several injuries.
Durability and chemistry were key. It is now being tested. And they are passing with praise, although their three-game winning streak deserves a caveat.
The Wizards were without their superstar Bradley Beal (rest), and Houston played without his two best players, Christian Wood and Victor Oladipo. Atlanta, who appeared to be a playoff candidate, suffered a series of injuries and is 11-16.
“Chemistry is great,” said Noel. “I have been on some teams. This is one of the best chemistry teams. Every day is fun, lots of laughter in the locker room. Everyone is getting along. Game 30 has been like this for a while and is only getting better. Helps cohesion. In games 56 and 70, this will mean even more. “
Noel is not a great scorer (he scored six points against the Hawks, 3 out of 3 on the field), but he is a pitch blocker and can put pressure on the rim, since he hit the end of the game the Hawks win.
“Going through a real comfort level,” said Noel. “In the second half of the last game, I started to feel that way, making sure that I am very involved, taking on the responsibility of anchoring the defense throughout the game.”