"Risking my body to get the job done" - Mitchell Robinson boasts about surviving as 'longest Knick' after New York's Karl-Anthony Towns move
Mitchell Robinson became the longest-tenured member of the New York Knicks after Julius Randle was traded for Karl-Anthony Towns on Friday. News of the trade was quick to sweep across the NBA community, with many, including Towns, left stunned by the sudden move.
While Towns had been a staple of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster for years, he now appears poised to join a New York Knicks team eager to make waves in the Eastern Conference.
In a post on his Instagram story, Mitchell Robinson shared a pic of the 2020-21 Knicks roster, pointing out that he was the last remaining member of the team following the departures of players such as Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. He captioned the post:
"I'm really a great vibe. Longest Knick. Risking my body to get the job done really paid off."
The members of the team who are no longer a part of the roster are:
Ignas Brazdeikis, Reggie Bullock, Alec Burks, Jared Harper, Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton, Norvel Pelle, Theo Pinson, Immanuel Quickley, Julius Randle, Barrett, Austin Rivers and Dennis Smith Jr.
Looking closer at the Knicks-Timberwolves trade that landed Karl-Anthony Towns alongside Mitchell Robinson in New York
Late Friday night, Shams Charania broke some massive news alongside Jon Krawczynski, marking his first massive piece of news in the wake of Adrian Wojnarowski's retirement from news media. As he revealed, the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster deal.
In return, New York is reportedly sending Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons to the Timberwolves. The NBA community immediately began to debate which side won the deal, with some of the mindset that New York made a mistake by sacrificing depth.
Others said that the acquisition of Randle and DiVincenzo is an upgrade for Minnesota given that Randle provides a natural power forward to play alongside Rudy Gobert, while DiVincenzo gives the team depth.
While the Knicks sacrificed depth, Towns' versatility and ability to play power forward alongside Mitchell Robinson, or play as a stretch-five gives the team a multifaceted threat.
Although some fans and analysts have expressed concern about Karl-Anthony Towns' defense, coach Tom Thibodeau is known for being able to get the best out of his players defensively. Given that, there are plenty of reasons for Knicks fans to be optimistic about his fit in the team's starting lineup.
The other concern that has continued to surface in post-trade analysis is the Knicks' depth. From the looks of things, Deuce McBride is set to be the sixth man. Although he showed growth last season, he lacks the firepower to be a true X-factor down the stretch when compared to other sixth men around the league.
With preseason right around the corner, it will be interesting to see how things play out in New York.