Julius Randle’s extended absence a Knicks concern with time running out before playoffs
NY Post
Another game, another DNP for Julius Randle.
And as the hourglass nears empty before the playoffs, the questions about Randle’s rust become more relevant.
“I’m always concerned,” Tom Thibodeau said. “About everything.”
To be clear, Thibodeau always uses that phrase and wasn’t implying much about Randle beyond his usual Thibs-ism deflection.
But the coach acknowledged Monday, perhaps in a bit of a surprise, that he’d curtail Randle if the player was ineffective.
“You just deal with your reality. So when guys do come back, you see where they are,” Thibodeau said when asked about Randle when he comes back. “We’re always going to prioritize the team. So whatever contributions they can make to help the team, that’s where we’ll go.
It was only a three-second glimpse, but Matt Rempe, finally, showcased offensive strides. The ones he started talking about in the preseason — after a summer’s worth of work — and kept doubling down on, even when he fluctuated in and out of the Rangers lineup and shuttled back and forth to AHL Hartford.
In a different time, in a season to come, we may be inclined to wax poetic about the way this one played out. In a different time, in a season to come, the Nets will be seeking to stack wins and not losses, will be fighting for playoff seeding and not for a few extra ping-pong balls in the draft lottery this spring.
The NBA has an All-Star Game problem. Despite Adam Silver’s efforts to inject juice into the February showcase — including a format alteration to the 2025 game that is too confusing to attempt to understand before it’s inevitably changed again — there’s little interest in watching teams eschew defense for a series of layup line highlights. That also means the most entertaining part of the NBA All-Star Game is just like the Pro Bowl — debating over who should get a spot.