SYRACUSE — The Knicks will open the season without the cursed Amar’e Stoudemire, and it is now fair to question whether his starting status eventually will be altered.
Stoudemire’s Knicks tenure is fast becoming a risky proposition with yesterday’s turn. An MRI exam revealed a ruptured popliteal cyst in the back of his bruised left knee that will keep him out two to three weeks and force him to miss the Nov. 1 season opener in Brooklyn and possibly the first five games.
This was the much-anticipated month when Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony would have their first full training camp together. Instead, it’s been a nightmare. They played just one game as a tandem during this rocky preseason — Friday’s blowout loss to Toronto.
Worse, the injury calls into question Stoudemire’s overall health as he turns 30 next month. Also known as a Baker’s cyst, it is a symptom of an arthritic knee.
“It’s sad right now,’’ Anthony said after yesterday’s practice. “It seems like he can’t catch a break — a knack here, a knack there. Hopefully it’s not too serious. We got his back. We’ll hold down the fort for him.’’
Kurt Thomas will start tonight’s preseason game at the Carrier Dome against the 76ers, but coach Mike Woodson said Anthony will start at power forward against clubs with small lineups. Tonight’s game will also be marked by the Knicks debut of shooting guard Ronnie Brewer, who is set to start.
Stoudemire has three years and $65 million left on his contract, but there is a growing sentiment among the fan base Anthony and Stoudemire are best split up. On Friday, Anthony and Stoudemire each did his best work when the other was on the pine. When Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace return, Woodson will have two other starting power-forward options at his disposal.
But Anthony seemed enthused at the chance of starting at power forward after he excelled there when Stoudemire was out last season with a bulging disk. It would require Woodson to add Steve Novak, J.R. Smith or even Jason Kidd as a starter on the wing.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be there,’’ Anthony said. “I have no problem with it. I played it last year. I played 4, 5 all summer. I have no problem. I guess it’s back to me at the drawing board with me at the power-forward position. It just means we have a smaller lineup out there. I don’t look at it as the power forward position.”
Stoudemire left the team yesterday morning and flew to a New York for the MRI exam. Woodson said Stoudemire was experiencing “discomfort’’ in his knee following his Friday preseason debut. Stoudemire had missed the first two exhibitions with what was termed a bruised knee and sat out Saturday’s game in Albany, a pre-planned absence because it was a back-to-back.
The cyst developed over time, according to the Knicks, and it is unclear whether it ruptured during Friday’s game or before. The Knicks insist, contrary to some reports, it is not the same knee on which Stoudemire had microfracture surgery in 2005. The Knicks say that was the right knee.
“He’s frustrated by it,’’ said Woodson, who had Stoudemire work on his low-post game with Hakeem Olajuwon during the offseason. “He put in a lot of time this summer. It’s a long season and it’s early. The fact he’s having his problems early, hopefully we can resolve that problem and get him back in uniform and ready to go.’’
Thomas, 40, will probably start against the Nets’ burly Kris Humphries in the season opener, but having Anthony at the 4 against the Heat in the second game seems a lock.
Woodson said a platoon could be in place in Stoudemire’s absence.
“We can mix and match based on [opposing] personnel,’’ Woodson said. “That may be the case. If they have a big lineup, you might want Kurt in the game and play Melo in his natural position. If they got a small lineup like Miami plays with Bosh at the center and LeBron at the 4, you can play Melo at the 4. That’s the beauty of having the guys we have.’’
The Knicks have not had backup big men Wallace or Camby (calf strain) in preseason. Woodson indicated Wallace will start scrimmaging Tuesday, saying he is slightly ahead of Camby.
“It’s our goal is to start out and make the push from Day 1,’’ Anthony said of the injuries.
Asked if he brought Stoudemire back too soon, Woodson said, “I don’t think so. He led us to believe he was ready to go, and we played him. He played 29 minutes, not a lot of minutes.’’