MIAMI — It was a joke from Julius Randle, way back in February, that he was targeting a return on April 1.
April Fool’s.
What prompted a chuckle over two months ago is no longer humorous, especially to Knicks fans. April Fool’s Day came and went Monday, with just another update that Randle will miss the next game against the Heat. The timeline would be a lot easier to digest if accompanied by an explanation. But the Knicks, through their only public spokesman Tom Thibodeau, provide medical updates like the Jets’ offense with Zach Wilson under center.
Punt it.
Punt it.
Punt it.
The only official announcement concerning Randle, for instance, was that he suffered a dislocated shoulder and will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. That was Feb. 1. Technically, he’s been day-to-day ever since. One explanation I’ve heard — which seems perfectly reasonable — is the high risk of re-injury with dislocated shoulders has left the Knicks prioritizing strengthening the area before the playoffs and believing fewer games is better. There’s less chance of hurting his shoulder, in other words. If true, Thibodeau wouldn’t confirm when I asked a while ago.
He talked around the answer.
So we’ve been stuck on the same Randle update for a month — “light contact with pads” — with no explanation why this is moving like the Cross Bronx Expressway at 5 p.m. The best reasons to believe Randle is coming back are his high-intensity solo training sessions before games. He’s sweating for something. We know he wants to play. Few in the NBA are more irritated by DNPs than Randle. Otherwise, surgery would’ve made sense a while ago.
OG Anunoby’s status is similarly vague, although reports indicate he’s closer to a return than Randle. The setback in Anunoby’s surgically repaired elbow was originally downplayed by both the player and coach. He was called “day-to-day” on March 18, and now he’s missed seven straight games and counting. His elbow, meanwhile, has been noticeably swollen when spotted with a short-sleeve shirt. The Knicks finally gave it a name, too — elbow tendinopathy.
Less than a month ago, Josh Hart said he was “excited to get those guys back.”
On Easter, he said this:
“I’m looking at it like this is the team we’re going to have. I think that’s how we have to approach it, that those guys aren’t coming back and obviously we’ll be pleasantly surprised if they come back.”
Make no mistake — there’s a lot on the line with these recoveries. Unlike previous seasons for this franchise, it would feel like a painful waste if two of the team’s top-three players are either inactive or ineffective when the playoffs roll around.
Why? Jalen Friggin Brunson.
The point guard is putting together the greatest season in a Knicks uniform since at least Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13, probably longer.
Much longer.
Over his last nine games, he leads the NBA with an average of 34.3 points — all without the help of a teammate who has ever been considered an All-Star candidate.
Opposing teams storm Brunson, blitz him, and they still can’t stop him. It’s been an incredible watch. The unfortunate pattern during this stretch — which now includes consecutive losses — is that the Knicks lose all steam when Brunson’s off the court.
He needs help, and Leon Rose’s acquisitions of Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic have provided no answers, only more frustration with the second unit.
It’s why the recoveries of Randle and Anunoby carry so much weight. And why the non-updates are so frustrating. As Carmelo’s decline after 2013 demonstrated, repeated brilliance isn’t guaranteed.
It would be a shame to waste Brunson’s.
