It was Monday when Tom Thibodeau said that "you're never eliminated until you're eliminated," their fourth straight win that night leaving the 'Bockers 4.5 games behind Atlanta with six to go (seven for the Hawks) as they made a late push to get into the NBA's Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Unfortunately, Thibs' channeling of Yogi Berra was relevant for the minimum amount of time; the 'Bockers were pushed to dormie on Wednesday, when they lost to Charlotte while Atlanta beat Oklahoma City, and when the Hawks topped Cleveland on Thursday night, the 34-43 Knicks were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
And so, one year after going 41-31, clinching home court in the first round, and facing Atlanta in an epic playoff series, the 'Bockers – already assured of finishing under .500 thanks to a loss to Atlanta on March 22 – will be watching the postseason from home.
The Knicks playing out the string officially begins Saturday afternoon against the Cavaliers, a game for which Julius Randle has already been ruled out due to a balky quad – and while Thibs said Friday there's no plan as of now to shut Randle down for the season, the question is relevant: should he be?
It's almost a four-fold benefit for the Knicks if they choose to do so:
No. 1: Randle missed three games last week due to the injury, so he may be "day-to-day," but it's clearly something that's nagging again. Randle did have three solid games since returning on Sunday (two 20-point games sandwiching one with 13 rebounds) and while 10 days doesn't necessarily seem like a big head start on the offseason, but those 10 days could also be beneficial in saving Randle from sustaining a more serious injury in a meaningless situation – see also RJ Barrett earlier this year.
No. 2: Given the Knicks' schedule down the stretch – Cavs (42-35), Magic (20-57), Nets (40-37), Wizards (33-43) and Raptors (44-32) – now might be the time, against teams that aren't quite in the league's elite in 2021-22, to evaluate some of the younger reserves. Immanuel Quickley is the only reserve to log more than 20 minutes in each of the last three games, but when Randle was out and Mitchell Robinson was limited last week, Obi Toppin and Jericho Sims both got extended run.
No. 3: While a Randle shutdown won't fully keep him and the Knicks out of the news cycle, the 'Bockers would be able to avoid any more on-court foolishness, and also keep him potentially healthier if a trade is indeed coming this offseason. After all, if Randle tears his quad, it'll be a lot harder to deal him, right?
No. 4: There's probably a milk carton with Ryan Arcidiacono's name on it, and Feron Hunt is apparently a person who has a Knicks contract.
Perhaps the team can prove they exist?
The fourth benefit is a bit of April Fool's foolishness, but in truth, the Knicks don't truly have the option of fully limiting Randle or any of their veterans, considering four players are already out for the season and Quentin Grimes is set to miss his fourth straight game Saturday due to a knee issue.
Adding Randle to the injury report leaves 11 healthy bodies (counting two-way players Sims and Hunt) for Saturday's game at least, and three of those are Hunt (signed March 18, no games played), Arcidiacono (17 minutes in six games over three stints since early January), and Taj Gibson (three straight DNPs) – so it's realistically an eight-man rotation, nine if Gibson plays, against the Cavs.
Not ideal, but if Thibodeau finally decides to use Arcidiacono and Hunt and rests or limits even just one starter each game down the stretch, in addition to shutting down Randle, the reserves will have an extended chance to play with less pressure and worry about consequences for mistakes.
The Knicks already have 13 players under contract for 2022-23 (although Gibson's isn't guaranteed), plus a qualifying offer option on Sims and a guaranteed lottery pick, meaning next year's roster is already pretty crowded. Running a banged-up and much-maligned Julius Randle out there for the final five games offers no upside but stats, and a lot more downside.
Unless, that is, they can guarantee a game where Randle scores 13 points and grabs 14 rebounds to make sure he averages a double-double on the season…
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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