Goodbye, Mitch
Thanks for the memories.
Good morning!
Regardless of how you feel about aprons and the justifiable cost of a backup center, yesterday was a tough day for Knicks fans, or at least as tough as a day can be less than three weeks after winning the chip. The day got a little easier a few hours after that signing was reported, when Boston traded the guy who just finished 6th in MVP voting for a 36-year-old who many feel carries the worst contract in the league. I’m not quite ready to re-assess the East, including Philly’s new place in the pecking order and just how much worse the C’s really got, especially since there are likely more moves on the way.
So for today, let’s pay one last bit of homage to someone who has been in our lives since the Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA. He’s certainly earned it, even more than he’s earned this payday.
Goodbye, Mitch
Why.
Why, of all teams, did it have to be them.
Early yesterday morning, even amidst growing speculation that James Dolan’s second apron mandate wasn’t as hard and fast as we may have initially thought, I had reached a place of peaceful acceptance. Mitchell Robinson was going to get his payday, and that payday was not going to be with the Knicks.
Even so, I’d have eight years of memories to take with me, on top of an NBA championship that Mitch would forever remain an integral part of achieving. If this was the end, it was a great ride. I trusted the front office to come up with a workable replacement. Mitch or no Mitch, we’d figure it out.
But of all the organizations that could have ponied up the money to swipe Robinson away from a suddenly frugal owner, why why why did it have to be the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics, who made it their top priority to neutralize Robinson during their 2025 playoff series - futilely, as it turned out - and found out first hand just how significant his impact could be.
The Boston Celtics, who faked it with Neemias Queta until they made it to the postseason, when they learned the hard way that minimum salary players are usually paid that way for a reason.
The Boston Celtics, who have faced the Knicks in the playoffs 15 times - the second most frequent postseason matchup in NBA history behind only Boston and Philly - and will once again be a threat in the east, even after making a borderline inexplicable trade last night.
The Boston Celtics, who will now almost certainly be the Knicks’ opponent on ring night, when their new center will admire his fresh piece of jewelry before walking out to center court for the opening tip of the 2026-27 NBA season against his former teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns.
The goddamn Boston Celtics.
It’s almost as if the basketball gods thought up the bitterest possible pill for Knicks fans to swallow as they basked in the afterglow of a title. Mitch leaving for their oldest rival doesn’t wipe away the championship vibes, but it does leave us with a few significant questions.
