New York was already entering the first game of the season — a nationally televised showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the teams expected to be battling for the East crown — without defensive center Mitchell Robinson (“left ankle injury management,” basically load management) and sixth man Josh Hart.
Now it is up in the air whether Karl-Anthony Towns will be on the court as well. In an odd set of moves on Wednesday afternoon, hours before tip-off, New York first downgraded Towns to “doubtful” with a quad strain, then about an hour later upgraded him back to “questionable.” It is unusual for a team to move a player’s status up and down like this within an hour on gameday.
Safe to say he is a game-time decision, but well-connected Knicks beat writer Stefan Bondy of the New York Post says he has been told Towns will play.
No Towns would leave the Knicks without their starting power forward and center, going up against one of the best frontlines in the NBA in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. In recent practices, the Knicks had been trying out a Towns and Guerschon Yabusele front line.
Towns was an All-NBA player last season, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game, and many around the league expect him to have a better season playing in new coach Mike Brown’s better spaced out, ball-movement offense.
The Cavaliers enter this game without starting point guard Darius Garland, starting wing Max Strus, and sixth man De’Andre Hunter due to injury.
