Mitchell Robinson’s season as the New York Knicks’ center has come to an end. He will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing ankle surgery last week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. As a result of Robinson’s injury, the Knicks have requested a $7.8 million player exception from the NBA.
Robinson injured his left ankle during a game against the Celtics. Initially, it was believed that he would recover in 8-10 weeks, but that won’t be the case. Veteran Taj Gibson was signed to help compensate for Robinson’s absence. Gibson briefly returned to the game in the second half after initial exams showed no injury, but he did not play in the fourth quarter and has not played since then.
Last week, the Knicks announced that Robinson had undergone ankle surgery. The Knicks were hoping that Robinson would only miss up to 10 weeks of play, which would have allowed him to join the team before the end of the regular season. However, by requesting the player exception due to injury on Wednesday, it indicates that Robinson will be out for the remainder of the year.
Gibson was a free agent and played for the Washington Wizards last season, mostly coming off the bench. The 38-year-old has previously played on three other teams coached by Knicks’ head coach Tom Thibodeau, including a previous stint with the Knicks, which should make for an easy adjustment to the court.
Julius Randle led the team with 26 points, and Donte DiVincenzo added 23 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein, who started as the center in place of Robinson and the other center Jericho Sims, who is currently sidelined with a mild ankle sprain, finished with two points and 10 rebounds.
Robinson’s absence is undoubtedly a blow to the Knicks’ playoff aspirations, but the arrival of Gibson and the strong performance of other players like Randle and DiVincenzo provide reasons for optimism. Follow Primeiro Basquete for more updates.
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