CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mamma Mia!
Center Tyson Chandler is out, Andrea Bargnani is in and the frontcourts the Knicks face in the next two weeks are massive.
Somewhere, Houston’s Dwight Howard is licking his chops, dreaming of next week’s appearance at the Garden versus the 7-foot Italian, Bargnani.
The sans-Chandler segment of the schedule begins Friday in Charlotte when the Knicks face a Bobcats team that manhandled them on the boards, 51-33, Tuesday at the Garden, when Chandler went down with a broken leg. And the Bobcats don’t even have a big frontline, especially with Al Jefferson hurt.
The next six games are brutal with San Antonio on Sunday, Atlanta (twice), Houston, Detroit and Indiana. Big and bigger.
With the Knicks going with a small-ball lineup that has four players out of position, this stands to be as ugly as a James Dolan scowl. The Knicks are 1-3 and can sink fast.
Point guard Raymond Felton will be the only one playing his natural position. The two-point-guard alignment also includes Pablo Prigioni, with Iman Shumpert at small forward, Anthony at power forward and Bargnani at center.
Coach Mike Woodson is trying to pump up his rebounding-poor team.
“Rebounding is a team effort,’’ Woodson said Thursday. “Anyone can rebound. It’s a commitment players have to make to secure the ball once it comes off the rim. You can be the biggest team in the league and not rebound the ball. Right now we’re little undermanned. Tyson going down is a big part of our rebounding. But Bargnani, Melo, Iman, guys on the floor, they have to help us rebound the ball.’’
Regarding the daunting schedule, Woodson said, “We have to get back to our winning ways. I can’t worry about Houston and San Antonio. When that ball goes up, you have to take pride at trying getting that ball, put your body on people. We got to clean up and get back to winning basketball games.’’
Bargnani, an outside-shooting big man with a soft rep, hasn’t been a rebounder his whole career, nor does he make athletic plays at the rim like Chandler. Bargnani has averaged 20 minutes per game, but Woodson said he is going to “grow his minutes’’ to at least 30.
“If I can keep him out of foul trouble, we’re going to have to get him comfortable and play him big minutes,’’ Woodson said. “With Tyson out, he’s going to have to play some serious minutes.’’
Bargnani claims he’s ready. He played center in Toronto.
“I did that in the past with the Raptors, when I was playing with [Chris Bosh],’’ Bargnani said. “Of course, with Tyson out different guys are going to have to play some minutes at [center. That’s just natural. I’ve got to be comfortable with that. That’s what the team needs me to do.’’
Chandler, who played poorly in the playoffs last season, was playing at an All-Star level before being sidelined four to six weeks. And the drop-off could be scary. The lack of depth at center was the Knicks’ main weakness.
Injury risks, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin, are on a platoon and were capped at 10 minutes of playing time each. Woodson, however, said he is hoping to get the medical staff to increase it to 15 minutes. Woodson hasn’t determined yet if they will continue to rotate games as they have been doing.
Meanwhile, Woodson said Cole Aldrich, the only true center on the roster, will “have an opportunity to play.’’ The former lottery pick bust out of Kansas has yet to see action.
“[Chander] can protect the rim some, he’s good at hitting screens and getting off quick and making plays at the rim,’’ Woodson said. “He’s one of the tops in the league. The beauty of Bargnani, he’s not quick but he can pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop. We’re going to utilize that.’’
Bargnani said he hoped to use his shooting ability to his advantage against physical centers such as Charlotte’s Bismack Biyombo.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,’’ Bargnani said.
There’s a theory the Knicks should just try to outgun teams with 3-pointers and play the Mike D’Antoni speedball style with the small-ball alignment.
Woodson smiled at the thought.
“That’d be nice, too,’’ he said. “Last year we had both options. We could outscore teams and get stops when we needed. We’re struggling to score points. When J.R. [Smith] comes back, that will help a little. I’ve seen the four games. Shots we made last year we’re not making. We just got to stay the course. Some of those shots are good shots. I have to instill in the guys they’re good shots.’’