When New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson brought Rasheed Wallace out of retirement, he had to know the risks of signing a 38-year-old veteran that had not played in the NBA for two years.
Wallace proved that he could contribute to the Knicks, even at his age. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds playing an average of 14.6 minutes over 20 games.
He was an important role player on the Knicks’ front line but he has been out since December 15 with what was originally thought to be just a sore left foot.
Now we know it is a stress reaction that could keep him out for the rest of the season.
According to ESPN, a source with the team says “it doesn’t look good” even though Woodson seems to be trying to stay optimistic.
"He'll be back — but when, I don't know," Woodson said. "We're gradually trying to get him back where he can run again so he can get back in a uniform. But when, we don't know when yet."
I know Woodson wants to hope for the best, especially with all the injuries the Knicks are suffering right now. Marcus Camby is out two to four weeks, Amar’e Stoudemire is working his way back from an injury, Raymond Felton is going to be sidelined for a while and Iman Shumpert is just playing his first minutes this season.
For Wallace, we all have to wonder not just if he has played his last minutes this season but also if maybe he has played the last minutes of his career. This close to 40, any injury could be the last one. I am always a fan of guys playing as long as they possibly can, but there are certain limits that cannot be pushed.
The Knicks are finally paying the price for signing the oldest team in NBA history. If you want to throw a bunch of geezers on the floor, you cannot be surprised when they start getting hurt.
Image: SI.com
