Julius Randle spoke with reporters in Minnesota on Tuesday ahead of the Timberwolves postseason opener, and when asked about heading into the playoffs healthy this time around, he confused – and aggravated – several Knicks fans with his response.

“I’m excited,” Randle said, via Dane Moore. “This is one of the few times — probably really the only time in my whole career — I feel like I have a chance to really play for something. So I’m excited.”

Sure, this could have been Randle misspeaking or meaning something different from what he actually said, but Knicks fans quickly took to social media to push back on Randle’s sentiment, noting that he had been in the postseason twice before with New York.

To say that this season will be the first time Randle has a chance to “really play for something” is certainly bizarre given his Knicks history. Randle was the face of New York’s renaissance season that led to the fourth seed in 2021, where the Knicks hosted their first playoff game in eight years. The Timberwolves are the sixth seed this season, so it will be the lowest seed he has entered the playoffs as since he signed with the Knicks. Last year Randle was hurt and recovering from shoulder surgery, but the year prior, even while nursing an ankle injury, he was still part of a team that reached the second round and were in a battle with the Heat in game six in Miami. So, to imply that he wasn’t “really playing for something” during those playoff appearances is certainly an odd remark.

Could it be some leftover bad blood towards the Knicks after he was traded along with Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns? Sure. Either way, it didn’t sit well with Knicks fans, who likely will now be pulling for the third-seeded Lakers in round one while New York prepares to host the sixth-seeded Pistons on Saturday.

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