Ben Stiller is a lifelong Knicks superfan. He was at the Garden for the title clincher. He watched Mitchell Robinson grab the rebound that essentially sealed New York’s first NBA championship in decades. And now? He’s watching that same player sign with the Boston Celtics and publicly wrestling with it.
Boston officially announced Robinson’s three-year deal Tuesday, and Stiller responded on X with a simple, pained post: “Happy for Mitch but this is too weird.”
Weird is one word for it. Painful might be another. Robinson had been a Knick longer than anyone else on the roster. He wore No. 23 in New York, a number that might hang in the rafters someday if the franchise values that rebound the way fans do. Now he’s taking No. 4 in Boston, which is like watching your favorite diner become a Dunkin’. Same guy. Different uniform. Same division rivalry.
How the Knicks are handling the loss
This wasn’t a salary cap disaster or a front office blunder. Owner James Dolan drew a line on the second apron and stuck to it. That meant letting Robinson walk. The Knicks responded by signing Andre Drummond to a one-year deal, a veteran center who can eat minutes but doesn’t carry the same emotional weight.
It’s worth remembering that Robinson wasn’t a starter in New York. Karl-Anthony Towns occupies that spot. Robinson’s job was to come off the bench, grab offensive boards, and give KAT a breather. He did it perfectly, especially in Game 5 of the Finals when Towns got into foul trouble. That rebound — the one that changed the franchise’s fate — happened because Robinson was in the right place while Towns sat on the bench.
Robinson leaves New York having carved out a real piece of Knicks history. That doesn’t soften the blow for fans like Stiller, who now has to watch Big Country patrol the paint for the enemy.
Drummond’s new role in New York
Andre Drummond is 32 years old and has played 14 NBA seasons. He spent one year at UConn, averaged 10 points a game, and left for the draft after a first-round exit. Detroit took him in the top ten. He’s bounced around since, most recently spending two years with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knicks aren’t asking him to be Mitch Robinson. They’re asking him to be a reliable backup who doesn’t screw up spacing and can grab a board when needed. That’s a lower bar, but it’s also a realistic one given the financial constraints Dolan set.
Still, for a fan base that watched Robinson grow from a raw second-round pick into a folk hero, the transition stings. Stiller’s tweet is probably the mildest version of what a lot of Knicks fans are feeling. Boston just got a guy who helped beat them, and he’s walking into a Celtics locker room with a ring on his finger and a fresh start.
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