New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns supposedly underwent procedures over the summer to repair knee and finger injuries, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. But now Towns is disputing the report at Knicks Media Day, claiming that he did not, in fact, have those procedures done, per The Athletic's Fred Katz.
This disconnect seems odd, but perhaps the wording of Shelburne's initial report could explain it? The headline of her report says Towns was “treated” for the injuries, which were suffered during New York's playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals (finger against the Boston Celtics and knee against the Indiana Pacers). The first line of the story even says “Towns has undergone treatment,” though the word “procedures” is later used.
From Shelburne: “After the Knicks' season ended with Saturday's Game 6 loss to the Pacers, Towns had the injuries reexamined and chose to immediately have procedures so he would have the most time possible to recover before next season, sources said.”
Maybe Towns didn't actually undergo any surgical procedures that required him to go under the knife but still did get some kind of special treatment for the injuries? Maybe he received some kind of injections?
It's unclear right now, and we'll surely get some kind of clarification on this in the future. Either way, it seems Towns is in good spirits as New York gets ready to embark on another season with high expectations.
KAT, Knicks move forward with Mike Brown
It's a season of change, though, with Mike Brown in place of Tom Thibodeau as head coach. The Knicks fired Thibodeau despite their deepest playoff run since 2000, and they believe Brown is the man who will finally lead them back to the NBA Finals.
New York will need a healthy Karl-Anthony Towns to do it, so hopefully none of these injuries actually linger. Towns averaged 24.4 points, a career-high 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 35.0 minutes per game last season. His numbers did dip a bit in the playoffs (21.4/11.6/1.3), but he didn't miss a game in the postseason despite the injuries.
