Marcus Camby is on the way back. Next week.
In his first comments since going down on the third day of training camp with a calf strain, Camby Wednesday said he believes he will be back to practice Tuesday once the Knicks return from their three-game preseason road trip to Montreal-Albany-Syracuse.
The 38-year-old backup center, one of their marquee offseason free-agent signings, also vowed he will be good for the season opener Nov. 1 in Brooklyn. The Knicks originally said he would be out 7-to-10 days, but it’s now likely going to be more than two weeks.
“I feel like I’m almost right there,’’ Camby said. “Doctors still want me to be out a couple of more days for rehab and treatment. I want to play. I want to be out there with the guys.
Camby said he feels he could practice now, but the Knicks team doctors are being extra cautious with his calf strain.
“I want to play; they’re holding me back some,’’ said Camby, who had red tape wrapped around his calf. “I understand the side of caution. It’s long season. We have dreams and aspirations of playing in June. That aspect I can understand.’’
Still, Camby, who missed the Knicks’ preseason game last week in his hometown Hartford, wants to make a quick impression on Knicks fans in his second stint. Camby was a key cog on the 1999 Finals club, but fans remember his injuries.
Camby, the Knicks backup to Tyson Chandler who signed a three-year, $12 million pact, will not make the upcoming road trip. And there’s a chance he will miss the entire preseason schedule. The preseason finale is Wednesday against the Nets at Nassau Coliseum. If Camby returns Tuesday, he’d have just one practice under his belt.
“The doctors are erring on the side of caution,’’ Camby said. “They don’t want me to go out there and hurt myself even further. [Andrea] Bargnani went through a similar thing last year — in and out of the lineup.’’
The Knicks desperately needed a backup for Chandler and pursued Camby aggressively. Part of the Knicks’ reasoning was to keep him away from the arch-rival Heat. In fact, Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston, Camby’s old teammate, is credited for talking him out of signing with Miami, reminding him he has Knick blood in him.
“We’re still trying to be very cautious about his injury,’’ coach Mike Woodson said. “No need to rush him.’’
Camby is all about defense, shot-blocking, rebounding, protecting the rim. When big-man guru Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon visited the Knicks facility in September for two weeks, he worked with Camby, too. Don’t expect a new Camby with post-up moves but he picked up some pointers.
“ ‘Dream,’ [he] was great,’’ said Camby, who played for the Rockets last season. “Normally you hear you can’t get [Olajuwon] to leave Houston. He, [Woodson], Amar’e [Stoudemire], we went out to dinner with him. It was a great time. I was happy to have a chance to work with him.’’