Knicks Sign Veteran Big Man Amid Julius Randle, OG Anunoby’s Injuries

Getty OG Anunoby #8 talks with Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden.

Veteran big man Taj Gibson returns to the New York Knicks on a 10-day contract after a rash of injuries to their thinning frontline, the team announced.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Tuesday, January 30, after the Knicks lost Julius Randle for a few weeks because of a dislocated shoulder and OG Anunoby to a right elbow injury.

Annunoby was a late scratch on Monday, January 29, before the shorthanded Knicks hammered out their seventh straight win — 113-92 over the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets on the road.

The Knicks return home to host the Utah Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back schedule.

Anunoby is questionable to play.

“I think it’s going to be day-to-day,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Anunoby’s situation via New York Post. “It’s inflammation. So we’ll see where it is [for Tuesday’s game against the Jazz]. He went through a shootaround. He was planning on playing. It was a late scratch.”

The 38-year-old Gibson returns to his native New York after the Knicks waived him on January 7 following a three-week stint. He appeared in 10 games, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds over 9.7 minutes as the team’s insurance big man after Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims went down with injuries.

Sims has already returned to the lineup, but Isaiah Hartenstein is on a 25-minute restriction after missing three games due to soreness in his Achilles tendon.

Randle and Anunoby’s injuries further decimated their frontline so the Knicks broke the “Gibson” glass in this time of emergency.

Villanova Boys Lift Knicks over Hornets

The trio of Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart took care of business in the absence of Randle and Annunoby.

Brunson scored 32 points while DiVincenzo added 28. The 6-foot-4 Hart, who started at power forward in place of Randle, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds on top of 8 points and 7 assists.

Knicks fans invaded the Hornets’ homecourt with their chants drowning their sparse hometown crowd as New York led by as many as 29.

Hartenstein added 10 points and 4 rebounds before sitting out much of the second half to rest his Achilles. Miles McBride provided the defensive spark while also netting 11 points off the bench.

Julius Randle Seeking Multiple 2nd Opinions

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Randle is seeking multiple second opinions after his initial MRI results to determine the best move.

“He had X-rays that showed that dislocation. He underwent an MRI over the weekend. I’m told there has been optimism after the initial reviews of that MRI,” Charania said on Run It Back on FanDuel TV on January 29.

“Those are all have been ongoing and so they’re trying to get a full picture as far as the timetable exactly the extent of the injury,” Charania said. “There has been some optimism which is good news for the Knicks and hopeful for the Knicks that this is not a long-term, season-ending surgery type of injury.

But anytime you have an injury like a dislocation, it’s all about what happens afterward. Once the MRI like what’s the damage? Is there significant damage and what else comes through in that testing? So far, there is a level of optimism.”