Knicks F Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) could miss West Coast trip
New York Knicks power forward Amar'e Stoudemire could miss the team's three-game West Coast trip with a sore right knee, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Knicks (5-26) play the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night before facing the Trail Blazers in Portland on Sunday and the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Stoudemire missed two games last weekend for what the Knicks labeled "recovery days." He returned for the Christmas Day loss to the Washington Wizards, but scored just six points in 22 minutes.
Stoudemire has been a highlight of the Knicks' dismal season. The oft-injured forward has appeared in 28 of the team's 31 games, averaging 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per. Those numbers would mark his best season since 2011-12, when he averaged 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game.
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“We got to figure out how it feels and what’s going on," Stoudemire said, according to the Post. “I’m sure this week will be rest and recovery week to see if it calms down and get better."
Stoudemire's lower-body troubles have typically been with his left knee, which underwent microfracture surgery in 2005 while he was with the Phoenix Suns. He also had the knee cleaned out before last season, in addition to other debridement surgeries during his time with the Knicks.
Stoudemire's five-year, $100 million contract, which runs through next season, is uninsured because of his knee issues. According to the Daily News, Stoudemire said the only surgery his right knee has undergone was arthroscopic.
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“Eighty-two games, including preseason and playoffs is a lot for basketball players,” he said, according to the Daily News. “It’s a lot of running, jumping, pounding. You add that up to 15 years straight or how many years guys have played and it’s hard to keep up. So I think it would be very smart to kind of reevaluate the strength of the schedule in terms of games played and make something that makes sense for both sides.”
- Mike Fiammetta
