Will the Cavs be Forced to Trade Donovan Mitchell?

The Cavs need to sit Mitchell down and flat-out ask him: "Are you in? Or are you out?" Mitchell's response to that question will have an outsized impact on several NBA franchises.

Final Score: Knicks 122 - Clippers: 144
Record: 14-11

Yes, this Knicks embarrassing blowout defeat in Los Angeles on Saturday Night could be excused as a "schedule loss."

New York was coming off an exhausting win courtesy of a heroic performance from their point guard less than 24 hours earlier in a different city. The Clippers, who possess the NBA's longest current winning streak (seven games), were well-rested, fully healthy and ready to rock.

So, it certainly wasn't surprising to see LA blow the doors off the Knicks and easily pour in 144 points in the process. The issue is New York's porous defense on Saturday wasn't an anomaly. Over their past six games, the Knicks have allowed a whopping 132 points per contest. The 792 total points they've allowed during this stretch is the second most over a six-game span in franchise history.

"Right now, no one is playing great defense," coach Tom Thibodeau said after losing to LA. "We got to fix that as a group."

That's an understatement. New York ranks dead last in the NBA in Defensive Rating in December. They are hemorrhaging 128.3 points per 100 possessions. Yes, that's significantly worse than the Pistons and Wizards.

It goes without saying that the 'Bockers are missing the game-changing presence of Mr. Mitchell Robinson.

"It sucks. Mitch is a big part of what we do," Jalen Brunson said after the team announced their starting center would be sidelined at least eight to 10 weeks after sustaining a stress fracture in his left ankle. "He covers up for a lot of our mistakes," Randle said of Robinson.

Over the first 19 games of the 2023-24 season, New York ranked third in the league in DefRtg, allowing 109.0 points per 100 possessions. They led the NBA in rebound rate, grabbing more than 53% of available boards. The Knicks gave up just 44.0 points per game in the paint.

In the four contests they've played since Mitch Rob was injured in Boston, New York has allowed 55.5 points per game in the paint. Their rebound rate sits at just 48.2%.

As expected, Isaiah Hartenstein has been super solid off the bench (he finished with 12 points, ten rebounds, two assists, and three blocked shots on Saturday vs. LA), but the hope was Jericho Sims would be able to hold down the starting center spot while Robinson was sidelined. However, the early returns have been alarming. In the four games Sims' has started, New York has been outscored by 28 points in the 75 minutes he's been on the floor. The Knicks have outscored their opponents by 25 points in the 177 minutes Sims has been on the bench.

So, how will the Knicks proceed? How long will they trot out the league's least impactful starting center? Can they survive two months? Moving Hartenstein into the starting unit would negate some of his strengths (facilitating the offense from the high post) by playing alongside three high-usage players. Does Thibs decide to start his buddy Taj Gibson and play him "cheaters minutes" while leaning on iHart for 35+ mins a night? Do the Knicks make a trade for a starting-caliber center?

Stay tuned…

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 After his 50-point explosion Friday night, Jalen Brunson actually missed a shot Saturday. Booooooo! JB finished with "only" 22/7/6. He's a bum.