The New York Knicks will open their season on Wednesday in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. They’ll have to do it without two key figures in returning Hart and Robinson. Hart is currently experiencing lumbar spasms and has missed practice since initial injury. He played only seven minutes during the preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi nearly three weeks ago. At the same time, Robinson is out for left ankle injury management, according to the Knicks’ coaching staff.
Robinson’s last tune-up came in the first half of the Knicks’ Oct. 9 preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves before his injury. The team termed Robinson’s absence “workload management,” according to the team’s press release. They’ve been rolling with this effort since the middle of last week. Sacramento’s coach Mike Brown downplayed the injury, saying that Robinson is not dinged up but the team is just being careful with his body.
“Really, it’s load management. Which means that, obviously, if we deemed it necessary, could he possibly go? Yeah, he could possibly go. He missed a lot of games last year so we want to be cautious going forward with him. That’s about the extent of it right there.” – Mike Brown
The team is evaluating Hart and Robinson’s health day by day. Further game statuses for both will be decided after discussions with team medical personnel.
The Knicks have put De’Andre Hunter on the injury report as questionable due to a right knee contusion. Hart and Robinson are both hurt as well. Karl-Anthony Towns is just as uncertain with a right quad strain. Hart and Robinson both sat out practice leading up to the opener. That at least leaves open the question of their presence at the beginning of the year.
With the hectic start to the season quickly approaching, the Knicks continue to focus on their players’ health as they do so. The new approach to Robinson’s workload is especially understandable after the injury-plagued season that caused him to miss so much time with soft tissue injuries. Tom Thibodeau and his staff are committed to ensuring that their players are fit and ready for the rigors of the season.
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