To borrow from Amar’e Stoudemire’s famous line, “The Knicks are back!’’
Remember the Knicks?
Now that the NBA is returning, you may need a refresher course on the Knicks’ roster. We wouldn’t blame you after reading five dull months of revenue splits, luxury-tax penalties and mini mid-levels. You were reading more of Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher, instead of Billy Walker and Derek Brown. Remember them? They could be key guys off the bench in this 66-game season the Knicks kick off Dec. 25 at noon against the Celtics.
The Knicks will have to be more than Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and aging point guard Chauncey Billups if they are to reach owner James Dolan’s lofty goal of going deep in the playoffs, which may be the only way coach Mike D’Antoni can survive his lame-duck season.
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Health was an issue for each of the Big Apple 3 this summer, with Stoudemire rehabbing his back, even amid a report he recently pulled out of a California charity game because of it. Anthony had two offseason surgeries — on his left knee and chronic elbow. Billups also rehabbed the knee that forced him out of the Boston series.
Plus, there’s reserve guard Toney Douglas, who had major offseason right shoulder surgery and told The Post two weeks ago he was “still in the process’’ of rehab. It’s unclear if he will be ready Dec. 9 for camp.
Dolan didn’t gut the roster for Anthony and Billups to lose in the first round. They won’t have cap room on Dec. 9 when free agency begins, as they will protect their 2012 space and offer one-year deals.
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The lockout began July 1 and ended at 3:30 a.m. yesterday with the Knicks having the same grave need for a big, defensive center. With one-year deals at their disposal, it makes their center wish list — as first reported by The Post — rather modest, including veterans Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Tony Battie, Theo Ratliff and Aaron Gray.
The center position currently is manned by French Leaguer Ronny Turiaf, Jerome Jordan, their 2010 second-rounder playing in Slovenia, and 2011 second-rounder, Josh Harrellson.
The Knicks talked a lot this summer about becoming a much stronger defensive club and it not only starts with size in the middle and new defensive assistant Mike Woodson.
“At the end of the day I can sit here and answer all the questions about defense. We’ve just got to do it,’’ he said last month.
Anthony said the Knicks aren’t helped by having the shortened training camp that begins Dec. 9. He, Stoudemire and Billups need time to bond. They never did during their 14-14 close to the regular season. Counting the four-game playoff sweep by Boston, they were 14-18 following the trade with Denver.
“There was no way we were going to do that in two months,’’ Anthony said.