Tag: mitchell robinson

Mitchell Robinson reacts to Sixers’ Joel Embiid grabbing his leg

New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson gives his perspective of what happened when Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid grabbed his leg in the playoffs.

During the Round 1 series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks back in April, Sixers star Joel Embiid and Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson got tangled up underneath the basket.

The result was Embiid pulled on Robinson’s leg while he was in the air and one could argue that the big fella should have been ejected with a flagrant-2 foul. Instead, Embiid was hit with a flagrant-1 and he then scored a playoff career-high 50 points to lead the Sixers to a Game 3 win.

Robinson recently broke his silence on Embiid pulling on his leg on “The Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart”:

I keep seeing the video over and over and I’m like ‘Alright bro. Like, come on now’, but like I mean, it wasn’t that serious. I mean he didn’t have to grab my leg.

Robinson was then asked that if it was a player besides Embiid, does he think that player would be ejected:

For sure. If I did it’s I would have been out and suspended…I would have been out of there.

Obviously, this is a Knicks-centric podcast. It’s hosted by Brunson and Hart and they’re Robinson’s teammates so this would be a time for him to give his perspective on what happened with Embiid.

Embiid explained the play afterward saying he meant no harm to Robinson. He just had some bad visions of what happened with Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga when he fell on his knee. He didn’t want Robinson to do the same as he was just trying to protect himself.

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Mitchell Robinson listed as potential Chicago Bulls trade target

Should the Chicago Bulls consider making a trade for Mitchell Robinson this summer?

The Chicago Bulls are likely going to look to retool their roster this summer, adding depth at every position and pushing themselves forward. Zach Bucklet of Bleacher Report suggested New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson as a potential trade target for Chicago this summer.

“With off-the-dribble scoring threats like Coby White and DeMar DeRozan (assuming he’s re-signed), the Bulls could get a ton of mileage out of a dynamic pick-and-roll screener like Mitchell Robinson,” Buckley wrote. “There’s at least a chance he’ll be available this offseason, too. If the New York Knicks cough up the coin needed to re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein, they might need to find a way to unload Robinson and the $27.2 million he’s owed over the next two seasons, per Spotrac.

“Ideally, Chicago would find a way to bring a third team into the fold, so it could route Nikola Vučević elsewhere and replace him with Robinson. The Bulls would sacrifice some scoring in the process, but they’d become more dynamic at—and especially above—the rim. Chicago might have to part with some draft considerations in the deal, but it shouldn’t take a premier pick. Not when Robinson is finding it increasingly difficult to stay on the floor, having just undergone his second surgical procedure on his left ankle this season, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. There is some risk with Robinson’s health woes, obviously, but the reward could be substantial.”

The Knicks just wrapped up an impressive season, and Robinson was hurt at the end of it. Nabbing him as center depth would give the Bulls a nice boost.

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Sixers’ Joel Embiid explains what happened on flagrant-1 with Mitchell Robinson

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid explains what happened on his flagrant one foul call with New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson.

PHILADELPHIA — There was chippiness from the jump in Thursday’s 125-114 Game 3 win over the New York Knicks for the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a critical game for both sides. New York was looking for a 3-0 lead while Philadelphia desperately needed to get back in the series.

Both sides exchanged hard hits early and the chippiness escalated quickly. One one Knicks possession, Joel Embiid found himself in an awkward position on the ground on the defensive end under the basket. Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson tried taking an offensive rebound up for a dunk, and Embiid grabbed his leg while he was mid-air.

The officials reviewed the play and called it a flagrant one, but it easily could have been a flagrant two foul that would have prompted Embiid’s ejection.

“Obviously Mitchell Robinson was jumping,” Embiid explained. “I was trying to make sure he doesn’t land on me, because obviously we know the history that I have with (Jonathan) Kuminga landing on my knee. So I kind of had some flashbacks. It’s unfortunate. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. It’s just, in those situations, I’ve got to protect myself because I’ve been in way too many situations where I’m always the recipient — the bad end of it.”

To Embiid’s point, he has been through a lot on the floor. The Kuminga play  in January essentially caused the meniscus injury that required surgery and sidelined him for two months.

However, the Knicks did not like the play. Donte DiVincenzo got into Embiid’s face to protect Robinson. After the game, Robinson left in a walking boot on his left leg. It appears that what happened with Embiid tweaked the ankle ailment that caused him to miss time.

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Mitchell Robinson’s roommate is his former high school coach and the reason why is so sweet

This is a heartwarming story.

Mitchell Robinson has a special relationship with Butch Stockton, who was his basketball coach at Chalmette High School in Louisiana.

Stockton watched as Robinson helped lead the Knicks to a victory on Thursday night and during the broadcast, the high school basketball coach spoke about his relationship with the big man.

The coach unfortunately lost his wife, Dawn, after a battle with cancer. Robinson’s most recent post on Twitter was a tribute to her.

Here is more from Stockton, who explained that he is currently living with Robinson:

“My wife passed away in September….When my wife was in the hospital, Mitchell came each day to visit her and became very close to myself and my wife. After the funeral, Mitchell told everyone that he was going to bring me to New York with him. He said, ‘Coach, there’s no reason for you to stay down here in Louisiana anymore. You come to New York with me and enjoy yourself and get your mind back straight.'”

The coach described it as a “great situation” living with Robinson.

Later in the game, Robinson connected on both of his free-throw attempts and the Knicks broadcast showed Stockton celebrating in the crowd.

After the game, Robinson said Stockton “looked out” for him and helped him get to where he is today.

Robin said he plans for Stockton to live with him for the rest of the year.

For more on how Stockton helped Robinson when the big man was in high school, Mike Vorkunov had a fantastic profile (via The Athletic):

“Robinson was raw but obviously talented. Stockton lined up tutoring and found teachers who took care of him, ensuring he focused on academics, too. On the court, Stockton tried to get Robinson to harness his many skills. He was already a 7-footer who could run and jump and finish with a smoothness that belied his size, so they began to work on his ball-handling and his shot. Major college coaches sieged Chalmette practices.”

According to Vorkunov, the Knicks center still keeps several pairs of shoes and other personal items at the high school in Louisiana.

Robinson’s relationship with his coach and his alma mater is inspirational.

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Ranking the Top 10 big men for Team USA if Joel Embiid declines invitation to Paris Olympics in 2024

Anthony Davis is the top option but there are some interesting sleepers, too.

After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.

This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):

“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”

Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):

“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”

So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:

Mitchell Robinson was hilariously elated when he saw stats of his dominant rebound performance

Robinson played a crucial role to help his team advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson played a crucial role to help his team advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Robinson was a defensive anchor who averaged 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. But his most valuable contribution was when he crashed the glass. He averaged 9.8 rebounds per game, somehow averaging 5.8 offensive rebounds, during the series.

He finished the final game of the series with 18 rebounds, providing 11 offensive rebounds, in the closeout victory over the Cavaliers. He was shocked and surely proud of himself when he saw the stat sheet provided by the team during the postgame press conference:

It was wonderful to see how proud Robinson was to pull down those 11 offensive rebounds, and his work on the glass was integral to why the Knicks ended up winning the series.

New York recorded 91 second-chance points during the opening round of the playoffs, which was the most of any team in the Eastern Conference thus far, via NBA.com. The Knicks also averaged an additional 3.6 second-chance possessions per 100 when he was on the court relative to when he was not, via PBPStats.

6.8 percent of their offensive possession ended with putbacks, per Synergy, which is currently the most of any team in the postseason. Robinson leads all players in points scored (22) off putbacks as well.

Robinson will hope to carry that momentum when the Knicks begin their next round of the postseason against the Heat on Sunday.

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Report: Bulls have interest in Rudy Gobert and Mitchell Robinson

Chicago may be looking to add a defensive presence in the middle.

As the NBA Finals is in full swing, the Chicago Bulls, and the rest of the league, are preparing for the offseason.

After falling off in the second half of the season, ultimately losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first-round of the playoffs, Vice President of Basketball Operations Artunas Karnisovas has decisions to make this summer, not only with resigning Zach LaVine but with the rest of the roster.

Reported by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Bulls could be in the market for a defensive upgrade in the middle.

O’Connor notes:

“Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported last month that the Raptors have expressed interest in Gobert. I’ve heard those rumblings too. Sources have also indicated the Bulls are a team with interest in Gobert (and other centers on the market, including Knicks free agent Mitchell Robinson).”

Both big men certainly seem to be available going into the offseason. For the Jazz, their team current constructed seems to need a change after consecutive early playoff exits and the recent resigning of head coach Quin Snyder. Adding a dominant defensive presence in the middle like Gobert would take the Bulls to the next level with DeMar DeRozan and presumably Zach LaVine, if he resigns this summer. But the question remains: what’s the price to trade for Gobert?

For the Knicks, they seem to be in the business of shedding money to be able to make a move in free agency or via trade, like for Utah’s Donovan Mitchell or Dallas’ Jalen Brunson. Robinson, who is headed towards unrestricted free agency this summer, would provide Chicago with a young center who averaged 1.8 blocks per game this season and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes. Potentially substituting Nikola Vucevic and his $22M remaining contract for a cheaper and more defensively minded option in Robinson could make sense for the Bulls.

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OKC Thunder rumors: Mitchell Robinson a potential offseason addition for Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked by Newsday that the team could potentially be interested in Mitchell Robinson this offseason.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked to New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in a recent report on Monday by Newsday’s Steve Popper.

“An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, he has hesitated to sign an extension before free agency starts and figures to have suitors among the Pistons, the Thunder and, if they can work the cap space, the Mavericks.”

Robinson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Robinson was drafted 36th overall in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. A draft pick that the Knicks ironically attained in the Carmelo Anthony trade that sent him to Oklahoma City.

Robinson has averaged 8.4 points on 76.9 percent shooting and 8.7 rebounds in 62 games this season. The 23-year-old has a career average of two blocks per game.

Signing Robinson would fit a need for the Thunder as a starting center is one of the positions the team needs to fill during this rebuild. Robinson is also young enough to fit the timeline of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

But with all that said, this is likely a ploy from Robinson’s agent to uptick his market value as he uses teams with a ton of cap space like the Thunder as a potential suitor. The Thunder will likely not spend big this offseason and will look into adding talent to its roster via the draft and trades where the other team needs to dump a salary.

Multiple Knicks say Sixers star big man Joel Embiid is MVP of the league

The New York Knicks believe Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is the MVP of the league.

MANHATTAN, N.Y.–Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid has been absolutely terrific all season long. He has thrown the Sixers on his back to ensure they remain successful despite the recent Ben Simmons saga and tons of injuries.

The big fella was averaging 29.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists before the All-Star break, and before the James Harden era, and he had the Sixers sitting at 35-23 and the No. 3 seed in the East. He was almost unstoppable on the floor as teams could not find a way to stop him and they had to settle for him just going off every night.

In Sunday’s 125-109 win over the New York Knicks, Embiid had 37 points, he shot 23-for-27 from the free-throw line, and he had nine rebounds. He fouled out both Knicks big men, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims, and New York could not find an answer as they believe he is the MVP of the league.

“I should have known this from last time that he’s becoming more aggressive,” said Robinson. “This is an MVP here, so I should have been more focused and ready to play.  He did what he needed to do, I should have just played better.”

Embiid entered the game averaging 11.3 attempts from the foul line per game so while the 27 free throws are still a huge number, it is still not too surprising when one considers who he is and what he does.

“That’s what Joel does, he’s an MVP in my book,” said Knicks guard Evan Fournier. “The thing is he’s so physical and so strong when he drives towards you.  You literally have to get ready and load yourself to hit him back because he’s stronger than you, but on contact, he’s so good at drawing fouls.  He’s an extremely tough cover.  He’s a beast down there and he has great hands.”

Now that the Sixers have both Embiid and Harden, there will be a parade to the free-throw line. Harden shot 10 free throws of his own.

“Now they have James Harden, so the two best foul chargers in the league combined, so of course, we have to do a better job not fouling, but truth is these guys go to the line, it’s what they do,” Fournier added. “So it’s not easy and you have to make adjustments.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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NBA free agency: Projected lineup for Knicks with Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

The New York Knicks made a splash with a playoff appearance this past season and have continued to make noise with an active offseason.

During his first year as head coach of the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau got the most out of his players. Julius Randle took a huge step forward, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Immanuel Quickley outperformed expectations and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second-Team.

The organization built on that success by re-signing Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel. They have also managed to sign big names such as Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, who were actually teammates on the Boston Celtics in 2020-21.

Statistically speaking, Walker’s play was elevated quite a bit once Fournier joined the Celtics. Boston outscored opponents by an excellent 14.8 points per 100 possessions when Walker and Fournier were on the floor at the same time during regular-season action, per PBP Stats. Boston’s net rating (1.1) was much worse when Walker appeared without Fournier.

Meanwhile, Walker averaged 27.0 points per 36 minutes when he shared the court with Fournier. Compare that figure to the 22.5 points per 36 minutes in minutes he played without Fournier this past season.

The two players can add some value to the momentum that the Knicks had en route to the 2021 NBA Playoffs. especially if players like Quickley and RJ Barrett continue their development.