CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sorry, Miami, the surging Knicks aren’t coming to town tomorrow shorthanded. Banged up, but not shorthanded.
As the Knicks (12-4) begin their three-game trip Wednesday night, the Knicks reload against the improved Bobcats (7-9) when point guard Ray Felton and Jason Kidd resume their seasons. Kidd, who suffered back spasms, said he probably will come off the bench tonight and coach Mike Woodson will limit his minutes.
The Heat, who lost to 105-101 to the hapless Wizards last night, await in a second night of a back-to-back tomorrow, but Woodson is not going to be pulling a Gregg Popovich and send his wounded warriors home. The Knicks, who are tied with the Heat for the best record in the Eastern Conference will show up in South Beach with their full opening-season rotation.
Felton, who left the locker room in agony after Sunday’s 106-99 victory over the Suns to take an MRI exam, will play with his bruised left thumb and will have the base of his hand wrapped in a protective cushion and tape. Kidd, 39, who missed the last four games, will not play his full share of minutes but said he is “100 percent.’’
Woodson will ease Kidd in slowly, especially in this back-to-back scenario.
“Most likely not,’’ Kidd said when asked if he would start tonight. “I’ve been out for a week, so we’ll work back in with the second unit. But you never know what Coach Woody has planned.
“It’s good to be back on the floor with the guys,” added Kidd, who missed his first game nine days ago in Brooklyn. “They’re playing extremely well. Hopefully I don’t interfere with that.”
The Knicks finish their three-games-in-four-nights road trip Saturday in Chicago against another Eastern Conference foe that stands to compete with them for the conference title once it gets Derrick Rose back in February.
Both Kidd and Felton were listed yesterday as probable.
“Oh yeah, I’m playing,’’ Felton said. “It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to play. It’s a bruise. I’ll be all right.’’
Felton suffered a bone bruise in his left thumb area in Sunday’s game but stayed in despite the pain. The Charlotte contest is a huge game for Felton, who is from the Carolinas, played his first five seasons for the Bobcats after helping guide UNC to the 2005 NCAA crown.
“He looked good,’’ Woodson said after practice. “He’ll be fine.’’
As reported in yesterday’s Post, Felton said he was not missing this Charlotte clash, even if he will be in discomfort.
“It kind of hurts when the ball hits my hand on the pass,’’ said Felton, who injured his thumb, banging it against Sebastian Telfair’s knee on the pick-and-roll drive. “But I can deal with that. I’m fine shot-wise. But we’ll see [tonight]. I’ll answer that question after [tonight’s] game.’’
One Felton friend said he would have “to be dead’’ to miss the Charlotte game.
“It’s big,’’ Felton said. “I get a chance to see my family, my son. I have a lot of friends come out. I definitely want to play that game but moreso trying to help my teammates get a win.’’
Woodson was cautious with Kidd, saying he won’t know for certain if he will play until he wakes up this morning. Woodson also may want to save Kidd’s best for the Miami rematch.
“I can’t play him a lot of minutes right now,’’ Woodson said. “We’ll monitor it as it goes along. I got to be open-minded because he’s in it for the long haul. We don’t want anymore setbacks. We’ll play it by ear. It would be nice to have him back.’’
The Felton-Kidd starting backcourt has been sensational, two ball-handlers who have played off each other seamlessly.
“He’s back. I got my mentor back out there,’’ Felton said. “I’m happy to have him back. My big brother is back on the court with me.’’
In Kidd’s absence, the Knicks have gone big with Kurt Thomas at starting power forward, moving Carmelo Anthony to small forward and Ronnie Brewer back to shooting guard. Nevertheless, twice Woodson has started Steve Novak to begin the second half to get more shooting on the floor. Thomas is struggling on offense and blew an easy layup Sunday against the Suns.
“Ray is playing at a high level, and I don’t think the hand is going to be a problem,’’ Kidd said. “I look for him to continue to play at a high level and eat up a lot of the minutes.”