PHILADELPHIA — Raymond Felton is expected to return from a broken pinkie as the Knicks starting point guard tonight against the 76ers, but he won’t be reunited in the starting lineup with his former pick-and-roll mate, Amar’e Stoudemire.
Not now, maybe not ever.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson gave the strongest indication yet the ever-improving Stoudemire will spend the rest of the season coming off the bench as the coaching staff is delighted with how Carmelo Anthony looks at the power-forward position.
The Stoudemire starting issue has reared its ugly head again because of Felton’s return, Stoudemire’s surge and Woodson’s admission the long-range goal is for guard Jason Kidd to return to the bench. (Kidd reinjured his back in Boston on Thursday and is unlikely to play tonight.)
Stoudemire has been back 10 games and looked close to his old form in Boston on Thursday. And that’s without having Felton as a point guard with whom he can work the pick-and-roll. Tonight is the first time Felton and Stoudemire will play together since the day before the All-Star break in February 2011.
But with Anthony enjoying a career year at power forward, enjoying a lot of matchup benefits, Stoudemire and Felton won’t be starting mates like they were in 2010-11.
“It makes sense now, but things can change,’’ Woodson said. “You just never know.’’
Anthony said he is extremely content at power forward, and he has a lot of power.
“I’ve been playing power forward all this season,’’ Anthony said. “It’s different matchups with different teams. So we’ll see what happens.”
The question for now is who will play small forward if Woodson doesn’t go with a Felton-Kidd-Iman Shumpert smallball alignment. Woodson said James White will start at the 3 tonight, taking a shot at Chris Copeland for not practicing well recently.
Another underlying reason for Stoudemire staying as a reserve is keeping him away from newly minted All-Star center Tyson Chandler.
Chandler and Felton had been dynamite on pick-and-rolls before Felton went down on Christmas.
An Anthony-Stoudemire-Chandler frontcourt presents spacing issues. Woodson admitted the trio is better in short spurts.
“I’m not scared to play Amar’e, Tyson and Melo together,’’ Woodson said. ‘It’s been pretty good in a short span and statistic-wise they played pretty good together. I just got to come up with some schemes offensively that can help them especially down the stretch so we’re not standing around so much.’’
Woodson likes the idea of bench firepower and thinks Stoudemire and reserve Steve Novak make an intriguing inside-outside forward tandem.
“I think when you got two threats like Amar’e and J.R. [Smith] coming off with [Steve] Novak being able to make shots and now with Raymond being back, it will open things for Novak a little more,’’ Woodson said. “To have all three of those guys coming off the bench scoring points, that helps us I think. We can play through STAT on the block as well as pick-and-rolls. If they double STAT, he has the option to [draw a] foul or pass the ball.’’
Anthony reiterated he spoke to Stoudemire before his return about his imminent bench role.
“He said, ‘Man, whatever at this point is going to help this team, I’m with it,’ ’’ Anthony said. “For a guy like that, who’s been through so much, who’s been an All-Star in this league, who’s been a starter, who kind of turned the Knicks organization back around, for him to accept that role. that’s a big acceptance.”
Stoudemire lit up the Celtics Thursday for 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes. Stoudemire won’t complain.
“I’m not sure,’’ Stoudemire said if he’ll ever start. “Coach has an ideal of how he wants to play the game and I’m here for him. Whatever that chemistry brings for us, so be it.’’