For the first time in nine months, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson addressed the media in Indianapolis before his team took down the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
The next step will be taking the floor to play in his first game in nine months.
The oft-injured 26-year-old big man is in the final stretch of his recovery from offseason foot surgery in May and sent a stern message for those who do not believe he can immediately step in and contribute behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
“That’s their business,” he said. “Let them sleep, and I’ll wake their ass up.”
Cleared for contact at practice, Robinson is getting the slow-and-steady treatment from the Knicks’ training staff, and understandably so. He had played in fewer than 60 games in three of the previous four seasons, robbing the Knicks of one of the game’s premier offensive rebounders and rim protectors.
Changes to his self-care routine should only help his durability. Now in his seventh year, Robinson said he is cutting out “dumb decisions like nutrition-wise,” and making sure that he ices after games.”
“I’m just taking it day by day the best that I can,” Robinson said. “Just trying to get to 100%. That’s my main goal. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there so that it doesn’t happen again… I ain’t trying to keep having these sit-outs and setbacks and stuff like that. This time I’m just going to play it smart. Usually, I’d be young and dumb to go out there and try to get back as fast as I can. I can’t do that no more.”
When he does get the green light, he will step into an important role as Towns’ main backup. It adds a different dimension to New York’s frontcourt, which could certainly use the added physicality to maintain a high levelo of tenacity — something that has become a trademark of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s men.
“I think one of his strengths is the rim protection, pick-and-roll defense, putting pressure on the rim, on the roll in pick-and-rolls,” Thibodeau said of Robinson. “The offensive rebounding, as we know, is elite. So the extra possessions are huge for us.”
