Tom Thibodeau offered an atypically revealing answer Friday when asked if the Knicks’ inaction at the trade ᴅᴇᴀᴅline aside from one minor move was an indication that they are expecting Mitchell Robinson back soon from an ankle injury.
“You guys can read the tea leaves,” Thibodeau said. “We like our team a lot. Obviously, we are excited about Mitch. But we also feel [rookie] Ariel [Hukporti] has done a good job, and Precious [Achiuwa] has done a good job. That’s really how we approach it.
“[Team president] Leon [Rose] and his staff, they are on it all year long. I think there’s a tendency to think this happens a couple days before [ᴅᴇᴀᴅline]. They are always looking if they can improve the club. If there’s something that makes sense, they explore it. Then, you go from there. But we like our team a lot.”
Robinson finally was cleared for contact earlier this week following offseason ankle surgery.
Thibodeau said the 7-footer, who was ruled out for Saturday’s home game against the Celtics, “did quite a bit in practice” and was “moving well,” but he still has not resumed 5-on-5 scrimmaging.
