Jason Burgos
A major New York Knicks injury update means the team has no more excuses as they look to finish out the regular season strong.
On the surface, this has been another good season for the NY Knicks. They own a 49-28 record and have a chance to post their most wins in a season since the 2012-13 team that tallied 54 victories. Yet, when you dig deeper, this has been a frustrating group.
Despite being on the verge of a third straight 50-plus win season for the first time since the heydays of the early 1990s, they sit just a game out of being the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. In a year where the East was for the taking in a way it hasn’t been in years, the NY Knicks simply haven’t taken advantage.
They surely have the talent to reach the NBA Finals, but they have been inconsistent when it comes to the elite squads in the league. While defensive lapses and Karl-Anthony Towns‘ fit in the offense are consistent excuses for their up-and-down play, another prominent one is that they have been without Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride for much of March. The guards are two key members of their bench.
Knicks are completely healthy heading into Bulls game
Well, that can no longer be an excuse if the NY Knicks don’t play up to potential heading into the playoffs. On Thursday night, New York Post insider Stefan Bondy pointed out that “The Knicks have a clean injury report for tomorrow’s game against the Bulls. Not one player listed.”
McBride made his comeback recently, and now Shamet is cleared to return as instant offense off the bench. Being at full strength is exactly what a team wants heading into the postseason. The NY Knicks now have that, which is great. But it also means injuries are off the table as an excuse going forward. And if they can’t finish the regular season strong, they clearly have bigger problems to start the playoffs.
