Going to dark places is a reflex. If you follow sports in this city long enough, especially the Knicks, Jets, and Mets, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Murphy’s Law always applies.
So on Sunday in Cleveland, questions about the end began to creep in for about 45 minutes when Jalen Brunson was in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse locker room with an apparent non-contact knee injury.
Should Julius Randle have shoulder surgery now?
Should the Knicks still sign OG Anunoby to a big contract even if they don’t know how their roster structure will fit into the playoffs?
If Brunson isn’t going to play, why trade a disgruntled star before next season?
What will happen to the front office and Tom Thibodeau, whose contract expires next season?
Why do the Cavaliers bombard your eardrums with unnecessary loud noises from arena speakers?
The last question remains a thorny one. Fortunately, the first four can be braked. The injury, which ruled Brunson out of Tuesday’s game against Atlanta, was caused by the point guard hitting his knee seconds before he went limp, not a torn ligament. The diagnosis, confirmed by his clean MRI, was a “knee contusion.” Bruises usually don’t ruin your season.
But the roller coaster of Branson’s bruises was a quick and hard lesson in how situations can change. One moment there was hope of a trip to the conference finals and a clear path to improvement in the summer, the next the plans were scrapped and waiting for an update from the Hospital for Special Surgery. It turns out.
Randle is inching closer to returning, but he’s still not able to return, so Brunson is the key to keeping this whole operation together. Losing him, losing hope. And on the other hand, the Knicks are part of a group of injured teams competing for third place in the East. The goal is to avoid the Celtics, who appear to be unstoppable until the conference finals.
The Bucks shouldn’t be too worried. Despite their rapid growth since the All-Star break, they are old and vulnerable. The Celtics managed to get a roundabout swap for Dame Lillard and Jrue Holiday just in terms of fit and championship aspirations.
The Knicks are clearly a step below, but they are a dark horse and a genuine threat. When it all peaked in January, no team in the NBA was better. Shortly after Anunoby arrived, the Knicks went 15-2. Then his two major injuries to Anunoby and Randle occurred and the calculus changed.
With 20 games left after Tuesday’s game against the Hawks, it’s hard to see if Randle and Anunoby (both expected to return this month) can regain their January form, enough to rekindle the chemistry needed for the postseason. We are wondering if we can find the time.
You can expect Thibodeau to play more as a starter in the playoffs. Just like any other team.
The good news for the Knicks, who sit fourth in the East heading into Tuesday, is that their immediate competitors are grappling with similar issues. The third-place Cavs just lost Donovan Mitchell for at least a few games after receiving a PRP injection to address a knee contusion (coincidentally, Brunson suffered the same injury). The fifth-place Sixers don’t know if Joel Embiid will return from knee surgery, while Tyrese Maxey missed Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn with concussion-like symptoms. No. 6 Magic is healthy but too young and inexperienced to be taken seriously. The No. 7 Heat allowed Jimmy Butler to manage the load through inertia throughout the regular season. The eighth-place Pacers haven’t received the strength they expected after trading Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Haliburton has struggled since returning from a hamstring strain.
There is a world where the Knicks finish above all of these teams. And that world is only possible with Branson’s return.
