NEW ORLEANS — Starting center Mitchell Robinson helped the Knicks beat the Bulls with a strong game Thursday, which included helping out against DeMar DeRozan on a last-second airball.
As it turns out, Robinson did a lot more damage. It was revealed Friday that Robinson’s flagrant foul on the Bulls young power forward Patrick Williams resulted in a left-wrist dislocation. Williams, 20, will undergo surgery that reportedly will put an end to his regular season.
It’s a blow to the Bulls, who stood to be a force in the Eastern Conference, bidding to pass the Knicks.
Robinson has received flak on social media for a dirty play. With Williams driving baseline, Robinson came over to block his driving attempt. Robinson didn’t come close and got Williams in the face. Williams tumbled and landed on his wrist.
In the 1990s, that would have been no more than a good hard foul on an attacking player. Nowadays, it’s a flagrant, with some feeling Robinson, who was assessed a flagrant 1, should be suspended.
The counter-argument is Williams’ injury is the price you pay when you go hard to the rim, and Robinson is always going to be there.
“I’ve been reading stuff,’’ Robinson said before the Knicks’ 123-117 victory over the Pelicans. “I’m like, some people are making it seem like something that it’s not. That’s what they are going to do. So it’s like, what can you do about it?”
Asked if he felt bad for Williams, who was an unsung key piece to the resurgent Bulls, Robinson said: “Yeah it is. I went down myself. I know the pain. I know how it is. I feel what they feel. I went through two injuries back to back. It’s the worst feeling in the world.’’
Indeed, Robinson can only feel good to be back in New Orleans, where he rehabbed all offseason after missing a good chunk of last season — first with a broken hand, then a broken foot.
“It’s amazing playing at home before friends and family,’’ said Robinson, who grew up near the city. “It’s my home. Nothing better than home.’’
New Orleans could become a future destination for Robinson if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Robinson said a contract extension is not close to being hashed out.
“The season just started,’’ Robinson said. “I’m not worried about that If I stay healthy and continue to play hard.’’
The Knicks were expected to finally trot out backup center Nerlens Noel for Saturday’s game, but he still is being ruled out.
Future insurance in case Robinson walks, Noel missed all of the preseason and now the first six regular season games with an injury the team is vaguely calling a sore knee. In his most recent interview, Noel said it was also a hamstring injury.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau said Noel was ready to play the preseason finale, but suffered a setback. Noel stayed relatively healthy last season in his contract year. Now he’s on a new 3-year, $32 million pact.
The Knicks are lucky Robinson has stayed right, though he has survived two scares on which he left the game limping. In Chicago, Robinson was on the deck in obvious pain after taking a bad step on defense and splitting his shoe.
Robinson revealed he has extra material in the shoe to protect his vulnerable foot.
“My foot is all right,’’ Robinsons said. “I just busted out my shoe. That’s the third pair that did that. It’s because I’m coming back from my own foot injury. I have special things that are in my shoes. It was just cutting through.’’
The added weight gain, Robinson says, is already helping his low-post defense against big centers, such as the 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic.
“I feel my weight has helped tremendously,’’ Robinson said. “The last two years they would’ve bumped me I would’ve jumped three feet away. Now it’s different. I’m not really bugging like that.’’
When shooting guard Reggie Bullock departed the Knicks and Evan Fournier arrived, the team knew its perimeter defense could suffer.
Maybe the defensive statistics aren’t as sharp as last season’s league-leading numbers, but RJ Barrett, for one, has stepped up as a stopper.
Barrett’s defense on DeMar DeRozan on the last-second game-winning stop in Chicago on Thursday night is why the Knicks are now 5-1 after their win over New Orleans on Saturday.
“I thought he really came on at the end of last year — knowledge of the league, the way coming back at night working on defensive stuff also,’’ head coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “I think it’s a natural progression and the thing we needed for us. To be the team we want to be, he has to fill that role for us.’’
Robinson gave full credit to Barrett on DeRozan’s last-second airball that sealed the Knicks’ 104-103 victory over the Bulls. Robinson helped as Barrett contested DeRozan’s patented mid-range jumper off a shot fake.
“That was RJ, man,’’ Robinson said. “I was just there in the area. RJ stopped that play. He stopped that. Give him credit for that one.’’
Barrett has seen a noticeable improvement on switches. Barrett originally guarded the inbound pass.
“RJ stayed disciplined,” Thibodeau said. “He challenged at the end very well.’’
Thibodeau said center Nerlens Noel is the one making the call on his absences. Noel missed all of preseason and now the first six preseason games with knee and hamstring soreness, after signing a 3-year, $32 million contract. The expectation was Noel would make his debut Saturday, but that didn’t happen.
“That’s where you have to trust the player,’’ Thibodeau said. “You don’t wanna put a player out there until he’s comfortable. He’ll know when. I trust him. He’ll know when he’s ready. He’s ramping up pretty good. He’s taking contact on.’’
After the victory over the Bulls, Thibodeau was spotted at Tao restaurant, taking the entire Knicks team for a post-game dinner.
The ritual started during the pandemic last season when the club was confined to the hotel. (Tao is owned by Knicks owner James Dolan). Brian Scalabrine, who was on hand for the Bulls’ ceremonies honoring Joakim Noah, reported the sighting on his Sirius radio show. This dinner was impromptu after the win.
“It’s better when it happens organically,’’ Thibodeau said.