It seemed like the injury news kept getting worse and worse for the Knicks, but the latest update is not as bad as it seems.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who is dealing with a right quad strain, was downgraded to doubtful just hours before the Knicks’ season opener against the Cavaliers Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. He missed the Knicks’ last two preseason games.
Then an hour later, Towns was upgraded back to questionable.
Despite the uncertainty with the injury designations, Towns is expected to play, noti.group’s Stefan Bondy reported.
The Knicks are already without Josh Hart (lumbar spasms) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management).
Robinson’s absence is particularly concerning, given it likely represents a setback after having undergone two operations on his left ankle in the last two years and missing most of the regular season last year.
Adding Towns to that list would have been a rough way for Mike Brown to begin his championship-or-bust coaching tenure.
Towns was largely durable his first season with the Knicks last year, playing 72 regular-season games and playing through a left index ring finger injury late in the year and during the playoffs.
Still, for an immediate measuring-stick game between two teams most expect to be the best in the Eastern Conference, neither will be at full strength.
Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) both underwent surgeries in the offseason and are a ways away from suiting up for the Cavaliers. De’Andre Hunter (knee) is questionable for Wednesday’s clash.
For the Knicks, playing without Hart and Robinson and with Towns potentially limited, it immediately tests the depth they are confident is improved this year compared to last season.
They signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele as key additions to the bench unit and brought back Landry Shamet, and the hope was that Hart would supplement the bench with a fully healthy Robinson replacing him in the starting lineup. That latter hope will have to wait, though.
Brown has various lineup options without Robinson — he could move Towns to center, move OG Anunoby down to power forward and insert Shamet into the starting lineup. He could just make a like-for-like move and insert Ariel Hukporti at center. Or he could insert Yabusele at power forward with Towns at center.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
