Knicks' Julius Randle: Not yet taking contact

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said Friday that Randle is still waiting to take contact and is "trying to strengthen the shoulder area," Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. "Some days have been better than others," Thibodeau added. "But just keep working at it and you never know when it turns. So that's the way we have to approach it."

Updates on Randle have often been vague and infrequent since he sustained a dislocated right shoulder in the Knicks' Jan. 27 win over the Heat. Though he was able to avoid surgery on the injury, the veteran power forward doesn't seem to have significant progress in the ensuing two months. For about the past three weeks, Randle has been limited to taking light contact with pads on the court, so he still looks to be closer to week-to-week than day-to-day at this stage of his recovery. The Knicks remain hopeful to get Randle back for the playoffs if not the end of the regular season, but fantasy managers in redraft leagues likely can't justify holding him while his return timeline remains uncertain.