Knicks' Julius Randle to undergo shoulder surgery, out for playoffs

Julius Randle had worked hard to avoid this. Out since Jan. 29th, he has been rehabbing a dislocated shoulder in hopes of avoiding surgery and returning to the Knicks lineup for a playoff run. It just wasn't to be.

Randle will undergo shoulder surgery and is out for the Knicks playoff run, the team announced. He should be back healthy for the start of next season.

Randle had been cleared for individual work, however, reading the tea leaves coming out of the Knicks locker room, his return seemed increasingly unlikely. Randle visited two shoulder specialists, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who "warned of further injury and possible permanent damage to the shoulder if he returned to play before a surgical procedure."

With the surgery, Randle should make a full recovery.

This is a serious blow to a Knicks team that had dreams of a deep playoff run after a 12-1 stretch in January after acquiring OG Anunoby, when the team was mostly healthy. Randle averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists a game, coming off an All-NBA season and putting up numbers that would have had him in consideration again.

The Knicks playoff hopes rest on Anunoby getting his elbow healthy and returning to the lineup (no sure thing), paring him with Mitchell Robinson (who returned, tweaked his ankle, and has played limited minutes) to shore up an elite defense. Combine that with the All-NBA level play of Jalen Brunson and hot shooting from Donte DiVincenzo and the Knicks have a chance in a 4/5 first-round series against Orlando or Cleveland (the most likely first-round scenario). After that, it would likely be Boston in the second round.