The New York Knicks’ season appeared to be in trouble when starting center Mitchell Robinson had to undergo ankle surgery in early December. The prospects for him were so dim that the Knicks requested an injured player exception from the NBA.
Teams request it when they don’t believe a player will be able to return to the field before June 15th. New York originally gave Robinson an 8-10 week timetable to return to court, but apparently, things were worse than they thought.
In recent days, however, something has changed for the better. The NBA denied the Knicks’ request for an exception, which implied that Robinson could return at some point during the season. According to SNY.TV’s Ian Begley, that’s now the expectation.
There’s a chance Robinson, who last played on Dec. 8, could return in time for the playoffs. This would provide the Knicks with a huge boost in their frontcourt, as they still lack some size behind Isaiah Hartenstein.