From his Manhattan hospital bed at Special Surgery Hospital Wednesday, a masked Mitchell Robinson tweeted an uplifting video with a bold prediction.
While the Knicks were preparing for the Magic in their morning shot at Amway Center, the Knicks center was in good spirits after a successful surgery on his right hand.
“Thank you for all the prayers you sent me,” he said. “I really needed it. It’s the first one I’ve done. I will be back sooner than ever. Go Knicks “.
Robinson broke Julius Randle’s right elbow on Friday in Washington in the first half and will probably, to put it bluntly, miss nearly six weeks. It will be re-evaluated after the March 10 All-Star Break.
Robinson left the Wizards game in the third quarter and the Knicks won that competition on goal. They have added two impressive wins, and their three-game winning streak jumped the club to 14-15 entering Wednesday’s Magic meet.
New center-back Nerlens Noel will have his hands full on Wednesday with home center Nikola Vucevic averaging 23.7 points and 11.4 rebounds for the Magic 10-18.
Taj Gibson, who played Thibodeau in Minnesota and Chicago, is the safety center, as the Knicks find out if they want to add anyone to the roster.
Noel and Gibson will also face Orlando’s 7-foot center Mo Bamba, who could see action Wednesday against Gibson. Bamba could be a future business target. The New Yorker and fifth seed in the 2018 NBA Draft has yet to make his mark in Orlando.
Bamba comes in and out of the rotation, playing in just 12 games this season. Bamba is 22 years old and the Knicks tried to change in this draft to get the former Texas Longhorns star. The Lakers would have been interested, too.
The Knicks have held internal talks about free agent shooting center Norvel Pelle, who was recently signed by the Nets but has been fired this week.
The Cavaliers desperately try to trade with Andre Drummond as a hire. This summer is free agent. The Mount Vernon resident, The Post reported, would be likely to return home, but the Knicks could still wait until he is a free agent without giving up assets.
If the Knicks signed a player, they would have to cut someone to make room. The two best candidates to be released would be PG Jared Harper, who has a two-way contract and injured his ankle last week in League G, and second-round coach Ignas Brazdeikis, also in League G .
Noel, and the rest of the team, has been in touch with Robinson.
“We all have a group text,” Noel said. “We all contacted him. I said prayers to him. Everyone is so close to this team. Everyone is stretching. I will be there for him throughout the process. I definitely want him to come back strong. Sure he has a good mood. It made us laugh at that group text. “
Everything has not been dark and negative after losing his lock / alley-oop threat. Noel has shone, bouncing a solid second half in Monday’s win over Atlanta despite playing with five fouls in the final 8:40.
In the preseason, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Noel, a 2013 lottery pick, brings many of the same skills as Robinson.
Continuity has been one of the keys to the Knicks ’relative success placing them in sixth place in the miserable Eastern Conference, where only four clubs surpass the 500. The Knicks are trying to reach that .500 mark on Wednesday.
During the first 27 games, the Knicks had four of the same starters with Robinson center. In 22 of the first 27 games, they had the same five starters: all the players returning from the David Fizdale / Mike Miller group last season.
Knicks freshman coach Tom Thibodeau only changed when shooting guard Reggie Bullock was sitting with several injuries.
Durability and chemistry have been key. It is now being tested. And they are going strong, even though their three-game winning streak deserves a warning.
The Wizards were left without their superstar Bradley Beal (break), and Houston played without their two best players, Christian Wood and Victor Oladipo. Atlanta, who appeared to be a playoff contender, has suffered a number of injuries and has been between 11 and 16.
“The chemistry is fantastic,” Noel said. “I’ve been on a couple of teams. This is one of the best chemistry equipment. Every day is fun, lots of laughs in the locker room. Everyone understands. 30-ish game, it’s been like this for a long time and it’s just getting better. It helps cohesion. In game 56 and 70, it would mean even more. “
Noel is not a scorer (he won six points against the Hawks, 3 of 3 from the field), but he is a shot blocker and can put pressure on the edge as he put up a fantastic alley at the end of the Hawks win.
“Going through a real level of comfort,” Noel said. “The second half of the last game I started to feel that way, making sure I’m very involved, and I’m in charge of anchoring the defense of the whole game.”