Just as he was coming around, Marcus Camby is back on the shelf. Before Friday night’s 108-101 loss to the Bulls, the Knicks announced an MRI confirmed Camby has strained the plantar fascia in his left foot and will miss two to four weeks, and could be sidelined until after the All-Star break.
Camby had missed 12 games with plantar fasciitis earlier this season and didn’t return until Christmas. He had started the last four games and was finally making a genuine impact. He had seven points in the first five minutes Thursday against the Pacers before reinjuring his foot early in the third quarter on a driving layup attempt as he landed awkwardly.
“I thought last night was the best I’ve seen him play in terms of moving around,” coach Mike Woodson said. “So obviously the leg, or foot, was feeling better. Hey, it’s another setback but you’ve got to keep it moving. We’ll get him back rehabbed again and then try to get him back out on the floor when we can.”
The Knicks’ depth on the frontline has now reached crisis level due to Rasheed Wallace’s slow healing from his stress reaction in his left foot. Wallace will start running next week and could make his return in London against his former team, the Pistons, according to a source.
The Knicks had made an inquiry into Kenyon Martin, the unrestricted free agent and former Nuggets teammate of Camby, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony. Knicks personnel director Mark Warkentien, the former Nuggets general manager, is pushing to make the move, but the Knicks would have to cut a player.
The Knicks will give Wallace every opportunity to get back on the court before making such a move. The Knicks prefer not to cut James White because he is a stout perimeter defender and can defend the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Woodson said he will talk with GM Glen Grunwald about the roster but said, “for now we’ll stay put.’’
* Iman Shumpert may head to Erie, Pa., instead of London. Shumpert said there was a possibility he might go to the D-League to practice with the Bayhawks and even play in a game because of the lack of practices with the Knicks. Woodson confirmed that might happen next week when the Knicks fly to London .
Shumpert began contact scrimmages on Tuesday.
“We’re going to discuss that [Saturday],’’ Woodson said. “We have to figure out how to make it best for him. We practice one day over there [in London]. I don’t know if it’s fair for him to make the trip with one practice. Possibly the D-League. We’ll discuss it.’’
In the new starting lineup, Kurt Thomas replaced Camby at power forward and White replaced struggling Ronnie Brewer at shooting guard — bad timing as he went against his former club, the Bulls. Brewer’s shooting percentage is down to 37.7 percent and his perimeter shooting has affected his hustle. Smith had a solid night, scoring 11 points in 17 minutes, and Thomas had six points and two rebound in nine minutes of action.
“Ronnie’s been struggling a little bit,’’ Woodson said. “I’ve got to help him. I don’t know if this is how to help him — not starting tonight. I’m searching too.’’