Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he will meet with Amar’e Stoudemire this morning and attempt to map out a game plan for his return.
Stoudemire had all but ruled himself out of tomorrow’s homestand finale against Minnesota, though Woodson won’t completely dismiss it until he speaks to Stoudemire today. The Knicks are about to embark on their Christmas week trip to the West Coast, beginning with the Lakers on Christmas Day, when Stoudemire’s former teammate Steve Nash will likely make his return from injury.
Perhaps realizing they are stuck with the injury-riddled Stoudemire and his $100 million contract, the organization appears committed to his comeback now — for better or worse. The Knicks flew the entire Erie BayHawks squad — 10 players, three coaches and a trainer — from Pennsylvania to Westchester and put them up three nights for the sole purpose of scrimmaging twice with Stoudemire during a break in their D-League schedule.
The unprecedented move came amid a report the Knicks looked into unloading Stoudemire’s uninsured contract this summer but found, as expected, no takers. It has been widely reported Stoudemire has been untradeable since his second season as a Knick after a back injury derailed his first season in the playoffs.
Asked about whether the Knicks tried to trade Stoudemire this summer, Woodson didn’t directly address the issue.
“Amar’e is a big piece of the New York Knicks and that’s why he’s still here,” he said. “We’re just trying to figure out after he’s healthy to get him back in the flow and swing of things. That’s all I’m concerned about. All that other chatter outside the game, I don’t buy into that.”
Stoudemire, coming off another left knee surgery, still has two years after this one left on the pact and one general manager said it’s the wide impression around the NBA that Stoudemire is very available. But because the Knicks would have to get back around $20 million in salary, a trade seems unrealistic until the final year of his uninsured contract.
Stoudemire’s health is such a concern, according to a source, U.S. Olympic team officials didn’t bother inquiring about him last summer despite several of their big men going down with injuries.
The Knicks have said they wanted to give its D-League affiliate players a taste of the big-time, state-of-the-art training facility. But a source said the maneuver was done solely with Stoudemire in mind. The decision to bring the Erie team to Westchester was made recently when the plan was for Stoudemire to be cleared for practice the week before Christmas, and Woodson didn’t think he had 10 healthy bodies ready to scrimmage hard on the off days.
“It was the perfect storm for us, they didn’t have a lot of practice time and we did and were able to come in and help Stoudemire out,’’ Erie coach Gene Cross told The Post. “I thought he looked good in my eyes, but I can’t tell you how close he is.’’
Defensively is what Woodson is worried about most.
“He’s moving pretty well up and down, he got in some work on the block, we wanted him catching it there,’’ Woodson said. “We just got to get him back in the scheme of what we’re doings from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, he’ll figure it out once we get going. We’re going to post Amar’e some when he gets back.’’
Erie, whose general manager is former Knick Allan Houston, left town for last night’s game in Springfield, Mass. In the new CBA, Stoudemire is allowed on a “rehab stint’’ to play for Springfield, but it was nixed.
It’s unclear if the Knicks will have a formal practice today, but Stoudemire may scrimmage with a smaller group. It seems the only way he will get his legs is by actually playing in games.
It is amazing how the Stoudemire Era has changed. Two years ago in December, the MVP chants were for Stoudemire, not Carmelo Anthony. On Dec. 12, 2010, with Anthony’s Nuggets visiting the Garden, Stoudemire set a Knicks record when he scored 30 points in a 129-126 victory, his eighth straight 30-point game. Now he’s just trying to get on the court amid a perception the club would rather not have him.