Centers the Knicks could consider with Mitchell Robinson out for season
In an impressive show of resolve and depth, the Knicks have gone 4-2 in six games without Mitchell Robinson, their starting center who went down with injury amidst an All-NBA Defensive Team season.
Despite the strong showing, their center rotation without Robinson is still a major question mark, especially if they have to go into the postseason like this, which is looking increasingly likely.
Jericho Sims was the third-string man until he got hurt as well, and the Knicks have now signed 38-year-old Taj Gibson to man the backup minutes. As respected a veteran as he is, this isn’t tenable for a longer period of time, and the Knicks will need to find an upgrade at the position.
They can do so via trade or free agency, and are requesting a Disabled Players Exception from the league to have extra cap space to do it. There’s also added incentive looking at Isaiah Hartenstein’s play in Robinson’s absence and his impending free agency.
On the trade front, there are a number of targets either via existing contracts or the DPE. Topping their list should be Clint Capela, Nic Claxton and Naz Reid.
The three are plausibly obtainable and are starter quality or better. Capela and Claxton are on middling teams with intriguing prospects behind them, while Reid is Minnesota’s third large contract at center.
The first two fill that rim-running and rim-protection Tom Thibodeau mold, while Reid adds some range into the mix. New York has some protected firsts to play with in pursuit of them.
There are also smaller acquisitions available to them in Andre Drummond, Alex Len and Kelly Olynyk who are three very dependable bench bigs.
Drummond is a monster rebounder, Len a solid defender and Olynyk is a sharpshooter from the position. It’s possible the Knicks could simply assume these salaries without much attached.
Recent winning might not save Chicago from selling their season, including Drummond, Len is redundant and not getting much time in Sacramento, while the Jazz could look to cash in on Olynyk. These likely won’t be long term solutions, but could bridge the gap with Robinson out.
The free agency pool is a bit tighter, but the Knicks could follow up their Gibson signing with another nostalgic pick in Nerlens Noel.
Noel was their man at the five during the breakout 2020-21 season, but struggled mightily the following season and got bogged down by injuries. He then got salary dumped, but if healthy should be preferable to Gibson.
Two other options are Khem Birch and Derrick Favors, two guys that played okay last season, but couldn’t stick in the league into this one. Either could be trusted as a backup center for the time being.
Whichever direction the Knicks go, staying the course seems risky given their current options. They could conceivably ride this rotation to the trade deadline and re-assess their play and the larger market, but going any further doesn’t seem realistic.
There’s going small, playing more Julius Randle and Josh Hart at center, but they’ll need to experiment with that more before committing full-time. It’s a big twist to bank your season on, so if anything the Knicks can beef their rotation up while still messing with these lineups.
Injuries are an unavoidable damper on an NBA season, but the good teams learn to adjust. For the Knicks, the right move could save them from disaster, while still keeping enough in the chest for the big one.
