MIAMI — Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said he’s hopeful rookie Iman Shumpert can beat the timetable and be available for the start of October’s training camp, and Amar’e Stoudemire vowed he will help the Knicks rookie defensive guard with rehab.
Saturday was a sad turn of events for not just the franchise’s present but its future, with Shumpert tearing the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. He is expected to be sidelined six to eight months.
If he returns in six months, he would be coming back to the Knicks just as the preseason ends. Baron Davis hailed Shumpert yesterday as the team’s “heart and soul,’’ and he may be named to one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams.
”Our medical staff is one of the best in the business,’’ Woodson said. “He’s a young player. With technology and all, hopefully he can beat the deadline they’re projecting and get him back early. But it’s a serious injury and it’s going to take some time.
“My advice to him is make sure he does everything from a rehab standpoint when he does come back strong and fully ready to go. Don’t try to do something you’re not capable of doing. That’s an injury that can possibly set you back a long time. But he’s young enough. He should recover nicely.’’
Stoudemire spoke with Shumpert at the team hotel yesterday after he returned from a Miami hospital.
“Iman was an intricate part to our team,’’ said Stoudemire, who underwent microfracture and retina surgery. “I told him before, I’ve been through tough injuries. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and perseverance and self-discipline in order to overcome this injury. He’s got a lot of work cut out for him. We have the same agency. We’re going to be in communication all summer. I’m going to help him with rehab.’’
The Knicks don’t have a first-round pick this June and Shumpert will miss July’s Las Vegas Summer League again. There was no summer league last year due to the NBA lockout. Shumpert is a huge piece of the team’s future, and his summer rehab and whether he can make it to training camp will loom as one of the Knicks’ largest offseason issues.
This is about more than not having a defender for Dwyane Wade for this series. “We’re going to miss him,’’ said Carmelo Anthony, who has become his close friend. “We just want him to focus in on getting his body right and getting healthy.’’
Asked what was worse, losing Game 1 or Shumpert, Stoudemire said, “Both blows weren’t easy to take.’’
Davis said his back stiffened because of the physical play of the playoffs and trying to do too much banging through picks. Woodson said Davis was a game-time decision but Davis said, “If I wake up, I’m playing.’’ Davis sat out the last 21 minutes of Game 1 after sparkling in the first quarter with two driving dunks, his first two of the season. It’s the first time Davis’ back flared up since his late-February return.
Davis has had hamstring, knee and neck woes instead.
“It was just trying running into guys,’’ Davis said. “During the playoffs, you look for the contact and embrace that contact. I let my adrenalin get the best of me. I could’ve avoided those pick and rolls. My back wasn’t ready to withstand all the contact.’’
Davis said tonight he’ll look to play a more finesse game.
The Heat public relations staff put out a list of negative playoff statistics regarding the Knicks in their standard post-game notes that was refreshing and actually raised eyebrows from reporters used to stats reflecting mostly positive trends. The Knicks factoids were so detailed in its negativity, Stoudemire was listed as shooting under 29 percent in four straight playoff games, Anthony’s career playoff history of shooting under 50 percent in his last seven postseason games was mentioned, and so was the Knicks’ chances of tying the NBA record for most consecutive playoff losses, with a chance to go to 12 tonight and equaling Memphis’ futility — something that had never been reported. The negative list also included the 27 turnovers. tying a postseason franchise high. The Heat’s president is ex-Knicks coach Pat Riley and its PR chief is former Knicks staffer Tim Donovan.