Analyst Slams Knicks Experimental Lineup

The New York Knicks were mulling the decision on whether or not to acquire a center at the trade deadline.

The team opted to go against it in hopes that Mitchell Robinson would work alongside Karl-Anthony Towns.

Robinson made his debut on Feb. 28 and he has made some strides since returning to the court. However, Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale isn't buying the team's two-man lineup.

"This is less about "Can it work?" and more about "Do the Knicks have the time to make it work?" New York needs more runway to futz and fiddle with this duo — not just how Robinson and Towns work off one another, but who's best served around them. (OG Anunoby has struggled a bunch next to them, going 4-of-14 from the floor, per PBP Stats.)," Favale writes.

"Turning to the dual-center look in the playoffs without gathering much more information seems unnecessarily risky. It may also be unnecessary, period. Maybe it has some utility in a prospective conference finals matchup with Cleveland. It is nowhere near as essential in the second round against the Boston Celtics, and its upside in the first round against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks does not seem especially high."

Favale's dislike of Towns and Robinson together isn't a result of what the pair have done, but rather what they haven't. The duo hasn't played a whole lot next to each other. Robinson usually comes in for Towns when he substitutes into the game.

Playing the two of them together could create a tough task for teams that are weaker in rebounding, but the Knicks haven't played enough with the two of them both on the court to determine whether this would be a good idea or not.

It's a risk to play both of them together, but it's not enough of a calculated decision to guarantee that it will work.