NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The news today for the New York Knicks cannot be all the surprising.
As they get set to entertain the Kings at the Garden, news Thursday morning is that all-star forward Julius Randle is done for the season after deciding to have surgery on his dislocated right shoulder.
Randle dislocated his shoulder on Jan. 27 against the Heat. He tried rehab, and nobody is questioning Randle’s pain threshold. He is reportedly gutted and wanted to get back for the playoffs, but fear of another dislocation and permanently damaging his shoulder factored into the decision today. Randle hinted about a month ago that surgery was still on the table, so today's news is not stunning. It does change things for the Knicks.
With a healthy Randle and OG Anunoby, the Knicks could easily make it to the Eastern Conference finals and could make the Celtics sweat.
Now, who knows?
For Randle, you feel terrible. Knicks fans have a love-hate relationship with the all-star. Last May, so many Knicks fans wanted Randle traded after we watched an injured Randle struggle against the Heat in the Knicks playoff series loss.
Randle responded this season motivated and fantastically, averaging 24 points, 9 boards and 5 assists in 46 games.
He responded well to Tom Thibodeau's coaching, and the trio of Brunson, Randle, and Anunoby had Knicks fans dreaming of a deep playoff run in the spring. There is nothing like playoff games at MSG.
Now that Randle is done, who knows when and if OG Anunoby returns, as he still has a sore right elbow. We all know Brunson is brilliant, but he needs help. We can all think about what could have been, and now we deal with the cold and hard reality.
The Randle news is not surprising, but its impact is unquestioned. Expectations for the Knicks have now changed.
Until next time, New York, I'm Marc Malusis.
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