TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle‘s status remains questionable for the start of Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat because of a sprained left ankle, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is hopeful that Randle will be ready for Game 1 on Sunday.
“He didn’t do much today, but he’s feeling a little bit better,” Thibodeau said after Friday’s practice. “So go through the rehab, see where he is [Saturday]. He’s better today than he was [Thursday], and that was the big thing. So we’re hopeful.”
Randle originally injured the ankle in a March 29 win over the Heat and missed the rest of the regular season. He returned for Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers but largely struggled to find any rhythm. Thibodeau said Randle was able to get a little work in Friday despite not being able to participate fully.
“He did some cardio work in the pool,” Thibodeau said. “And lifting and some spot shooting.”
Randle was benched for the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Cavs last Sunday and came into Game 5 a combined 21-for-65 for the series. Thibodeau acknowledged after Game 4 that Randle was still playing through pain in his ankle, but Randle appeared to get back on track until he turned his ankle again in Game 5 — scoring 13 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds in 16 minutes.
The good news for the Knicks is that swingman Quentin Grimes expects to be available for Game 1 on Sunday after missing the past week because of a shoulder contusion suffered in Game 3 against the Cavs. Grimes said that he had an MRI after the injury but that after some rest and rehab he is confident he’ll be able to be back on the floor.
“That’s the plan,” Grimes said. “If I go through practice [Saturday], it feels good like I did today, that’s definitely the plan.”
Thibodeau, who was an assistant on Jeff Van Gundy’s Knicks staff in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Knicks-Heat rivalry initially sparked, is looking forward to seeing the two teams square off again.
“It’s great,” Thibodeau said. “The players, they’re too young, some of them probably weren’t even born. But for the older people that have been around, it’s part of the history, it’s fun. If you love competition, that’s what it’s all about.”