Amar’e Stoudemire missed the first two months of the season with a knee injury and now it looks like he’ll miss the last two with a similar problem. Stoudemire is having surgery on his right knee to clear out debris and is expected to miss at least the next six weeks.
This is a pretty big blow to the New York Knicks who have been getting some good production from Stoudemire off the bench. Amar’e has adapted well to his new role, averaging 23 minutes and 14 points per game since returning at the beginning of January.
The timetable is six weeks, but if the recovery process does not go smoothly, and/or the Knicks do not fare well in the playoffs, he could be out for the season.
The Knicks are also dealing with an injury to another superstar. Carmelo Anthony has missed the last three games with his own knee problems. He should be back in the next couple of games, but there’s no word yet exactly how soon.
The Knicks are an interesting team though. They seem to rally around their teammates’ injuries, suggesting they could weather this storm.
New York is 2-1 since Anthony went down, with the one loss being a very close game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. You can actually call it 3-1, since the Knicks rallied from being down more than 20 to the Cleveland Cavaliers to win after ‘Melo left the game.
With Anthony and Stoudemire both out, the Knicks put a beat down on the Utah Jazz, 113-84.
The Knicks even beat the Miami Heat by 20 back in December with both Anthony and Stoudemire out in a game where they hit 18 3-pointers.
I am really not sure what it is about this team, but they are full of guys who love to step up when others are out with injuries. J.R. Smith has been campaigning for the spotlight ever since he joined the Knicks and he gets plenty of opportunities with the team’s injury issues. Guys like Raymond Felton, Steve Novak and even newly acquired Kenyon Martin seem like they enjoy the pressure of having a big time player out of the lineup.
I cannot say that the Knicks are a better team without Anthony, Stoudemire or both, just like I cannot say the Boston Celtics are a better team without Rajon Rondo. But just like the Celtics have found a way to succeed without their star point guard, the Knicks do the same without Carmelo or Amar’e.
Image: NY Daily News
