Knicks face tough decision over Julius Randle's availability

Julius Randle has missed the Knicks' last 22 games due to a dislocated right shoulder. While he is slowly working toward returning, questions surround his potential availability for New York, which could impede a potential playoff run.

The Athletic's Fred Katz reported that the Knicks are being cautious about rushing Randle back into the rotation. 

"Behind the scenes, Randle is pushing hard to return," Katz wrote. "His pain tolerance is without question “insane,” as one person close to him recently described it, but he’s human. Maybe Randle can fight through anguish, but maybe fighting through it still affects him...It puts the Knicks in a predicament. Randle wants to play, but if the pain chips away his quality so much that he becomes a burden, should he?"

Naturally, every contending team wants its best players on the court, and Randle was having a fantastic season before getting injured. If his presence within the rotation will do more harm than good to his condition, though, the coaching staff should keep the All-Star forward on the sidelines.

The Knicks will need to tread lightly. Of course, they want Randle to be available during the playoffs. The moves for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks were centered around the team being a threat in the postseason. However, your players must be at or near 100% to do so.

Luckily for New York, Mitchell Robinson is set to return from injury soon, and there's hope that Anunoby will be ready before the postseason, too. If Randle isn't fit enough to play, head coach Tom Thibodeau can rest assured that he will have enough talent for his team to remain competitive. Randle needs to do what's best for the longevity of his career, even if he doesn't like how that looks at the moment.