Mitchell Robinson had to miss out on ring night after going into free mode this summer, but Nix won’t have to wait long to see your former teammate Newsday’s Steve Popper writes in the article only for subscribers. Robinson and Celtics will host New York tonight, forming an early reunion of a vital part of last year’s championship team. Popper claims Knicks players have missed Robinson’s presence on and off the court since training camp opened.
“It’s bitter” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Because you love Mitch. We’ve done so many historic things here. And not seeing him in a Knicks jersey anymore, obviously, to all of us, we’re family. You’re there for us every day. You know how much we care about each other, each other’s families, and not having him with us on this journey after the amazing journey we’ve been through is obviously bittersweet. But it’s going to be amazing to be able to see our brother, to be able to show him love and obviously compete playing basketball like we love to do.”
Robinson was not re-signed due to rising wages in New York and ownership James Dolan refusal to spend in the second apron. He received a a three-year, $47.4 million contract from the Celtics team, which could be the main obstacle for the Knicks to repeat the championship.
Robinson told Boston media Thursday that he didn’t watch his former teammates during their ring ceremony, Popper added. He also played down the significance of meeting the Knicks four months after being part of a major accomplishment in franchise history.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m playing with my former team” said Robinson. “It’s more just trying to recover from what happened two days ago. This is basketball, this is business. You have to play as a team like any other team.”
More on the Knicks:
- coach Mike Brown tells Towns to stop trying to make contact on his kicks, per Christian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required). A foul attempt backfired in the season opener against Philadelphia when Towns was whistled for two fouls in the first 3:14 of the game, the second coming when he kicked out on an open 3-pointer and tripped Tyrese Maxey. “I tell some guys, ‘go ahead, try to get fouled.'” – said Brown. “Uh-huh. Kat: You’re a freaking perennial All-Star. So just make a bucket and if he fouls you, great. When you do things like that (foul-baiting), it reduces your chances of getting fouled when you’re boxing out or trying to get a rebound and stuff like that, so that’s something we want to try to take out of his game.”
- After a summer filled with celebration, the Knicks found a dose of humility in their premiership loss to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Jalen Brunson believes the experience could be useful in reorienting the team for the long season ahead. “I think it’s good for us to be knocked off the mountain.” he said. “Humble ourselves, keep our egos in check and let’s see what happens. I’ve been telling you guys since day one, whatever happens in these first couple weeks of the season, it’s going to show who we really are. So we’ll see.”
- Madison Square Garden’s first ring night in 53 years brought its share of controversy, according to reports Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The most significant incident involved MSG employees receiving emails in September instructing them to click on a link to select their preferred ring style. It turned out to be a phishing test, multiple sources told Vardon, and employees who clicked were required to attend cybersecurity classes.
