Coach Mike Woodson said he planned to bring Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench for now and play him “limited minutes,’’ not guaranteeing him a starter’s job down the road. Not yet. Not after the Knicks went 21-9 without him.
Stoudemire underwent left knee debridement surgery Nov. 1. Before his six points and one rebound through 17 minutes in his season debut — the Knicks’ 105-100 loss to the Trail Blazers last night — he had not played since a preseason game Oct. 19 in Montreal.
And who knows how long this stint will last?
“First things first,’’ Woodson said. “We’ve got to get him back on the floor and into what we’re doing. We’ll figure that out as we go along.’’
Stoudemire came off the bench for the first time since Nov. 4, 2006, having started each of his last 417 regular-season games. Before the game, Stoudemire was emotional about his return.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been so ready to play. I put in so much hard work this offseason. To have to sit out the first half of this season, to be back, I’m so ready to go and provide whatever my team needs to improve. I’m here to be there for them.’’
With Iman Shumpert’s return around the corner, Woodson still could elect to play smallball and keep Carmelo Anthony as the starting power forward and bring Stoudemire off the bench as Sixth Man.
It has been a very tough 2012 for Stoudemire, who had back spasms last season and injured his hand punching a fire-extinguisher case during the playoffs. He also lost his brother in a car accident.
“It was very difficult,’’ Stoudemire said of his latest rehab. “It was emotional. My family and friends were there for me, they were all there and kept me motivated. It allowed me to have the mindset of perseverance. I was able to persevere through yet another injury and still hopefully return to dominance.’’
* Rasheed Wallace (sore left foot) missed his ninth straight game and the Knicks are missing his defense. J.R. Smith said the defense is missing the level of communication it had earlier this season, with Wallace a key part of that process.
Wallace doesn’t sit on the bench during the games, when he is in the trainer’s room getting treatment. The 38-year-old forward’s contract doesn’t become guaranteed until Saturday.
Woodson still called Wallace “day to day.’’ He has a stress reaction in his foot and is trying to avoid a stress fracture. Woodson earlier said there was a chance Wallace would return to the floor last night.