CHICAGO — After Julius Randle revealed that his comeback was derailed over a month ago because of re-injury, Tom Thibodeau seemed to acknowledge there was some type of setback — contradicting his message from 10 days prior — but also wasn’t keen on providing specifics.
“So every day he goes through contact. We felt there would be soreness. If it flares up a little bit, you want to see where he is the next day. And that was the big thing. We said, ‘OK, the next day we’ll take a look at it.’ And then if it doesn’t feel better — if it got a little better and then he had another setback — it’s telling him that it can’t be done,” Thibodeau said.
“So the first time he goes out there, he gets hit again, now you’ve gotta shut it down. So I think he’s looking at that. And he wants to give the team everything he has, right? So it’s not easy. It wasn’t an easy decision (to get surgery). He gathered as much information as he could, he went through the process, and then this is the best decision right now. So that decision is made, we’re not gonna talk about it anymore. We’re gonna focus on what we have to focus on, which is winning the next game. That’s it. It’s really that simple.”
The Knicks announced Thursday that Randle will undergo season-ending surgery on his dislocated right shoulder, which was a fallback option initially but felt more like the course as his recovery dragged on for over two months.
On Thursday, Randle told Bleacher Report the reason he got surgery was, “I went through a full-contact session and re-injured my shoulder. …I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and It’s been an uphill battle ever since.”
That was after Thibodeau said on March 25, “No setback.”
Oftentimes team executives speak about major injuries but Leon Rose hasn’t addressed independent media for over 2 1/2 years, leaving Thibodeau as the public spokesman for all topics.
The Randle interview also presented a contradiction over whether the power forward was cleared for contact.
Thibodeau reiterated Thursday that Randle never progressed past contact with pads.
Soon after publishing, the Bleacher Report story changed Randle’s direct quote from “a full-contact session” to “a full-contact session in pads.”
It was weird phrasing since contact in pads doesn’t equate to “full contact” in basketball, only football, and Randle wasn’t wearing the pads — he was hitting them.
“He was taking contact, but it was controlled contact. It was with pads, right?” Thibodeau said. “And so some days he felt better than others. And then, in the end, he had to trust his gut, that he could play and play the way that he plays, which is he’s very physical and aggressive with his shoulder. So if he can’t use his shoulder, then he can’t play — he can’t change his style of play. So once he got to the point where he felt like he’d have a good day, and then the next day it wouldn’t be as good.”
OG Anunoby’s recovery has been equally confusing.
He was originally labeled “day-to-day” with “elbow inflammation” as Thibodeau downplayed the injury.
Then the injury designation changed to “bone spur irritation” on Feb. 7. A day later, the Knicks announced Anunoby underwent elbow surgery.
When he returned, Anunoby clearly re-aggravated the elbow in his second game but Thibodeau said it was just soreness and expected.
Anunoby played one more time and has missed nine straight heading into Saturday’s contest with the Bulls. Thibodeau said the 26-year-old has returned to practice.
“OG’s doing well. He’s getting closer,” Thibodeau said. “So we’re optimistic, cautiously optimistic with that one.”
