The New York Knicks are hanging around in the NBA playoff race in the Eastern Conference with a 14-10 record, and they entered Thursday in seventh place in the conference. But they had lost three of their last four games, and now one of the key players is out with an injury.
Mitchell Robinson, their starting center and arguably their best defender, suffered an ankle injury that required surgery, and he will reportedly be out for at least a couple of months. It has created a big hole in the starting lineup for head coach Tom Thibodeau.
To that end, the Knicks have signed big man Taj Gibson.
Gibson, who is 38 years of age, played for the Washington Wizards last season after spending the previous three years with the Knicks. He has plenty of experience playing for Thibodeau dating back to his day with the Chicago Bulls a decade ago.
The 6-foot-9 power forward/center isn’t quite the player he was several years ago when he was a fierce rebounder and shot blocker. But he can still be serviceable in limited minutes. Last year, he put up 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game while with Washington.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Taj Gibson, New York Knicks Updates
It is possible the Knicks could make more personnel changes over the next several weeks. At least one of their rotation players has been the subject of trade rumors, including guards Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, as well as forward Julius Randle.
There have been whispers that New York may try to go after star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, but his Minnesota Timberwolves have the best record in the Western Conference, so they may not even consider such a deal.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Taj Gibson, New York Knicks Updates
The latest rumor has the Knicks taking a big swing on four-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is 19 months away from free agency. Mitchell is from the New York City area and reportedly wanted to join the Knicks in the summer of 2022 before the Utah Jazz traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported on the social media platform Threads that the Knicks “have been preparing themselves” to make a big trade that would possibly make them an elite team this season.
