Amar'e Stoudemire May Take Games Off; Carmelo Back At Practice For Knicks
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- It was good news, bad news for the Knicks on Wednesday.
Carmelo Anthony was back at practice after sitting out Tuesday with a hyperextended left knee.
"I think yesterday the treatment that I got, the workout that I did, just resting a little bit, really helped out," said Anthony. "I feel good."
Anthony hurt the knee when he collided with another player during Monday's practice. The star forward said he'll "absolutely" suit up against the New Jersey Nets for Saturday's preseason opener.
Coach Mike D'Antoni declared Anthony "ready to go," though he'll be keeping an eye on the All-Star.
"That's the biggest thing," said D'Antoni. "Just dealing with injuries and making sure you don't compensate the situation by trying to go too far too fast during the preseason."
And that brings us to the bad news.
Amar'e Stoudemire admitted Wednesday that his oft-injured body may need some extra time off during the tightened 66-game schedule.
"We'll be playing three games back-to-back, which is something I've never done before," said Stoudemire. "And six, seven games in eight nights. It's definitely hard on the body. You have to be smart about playing time and recovering from those games."
Stoudemire played through minor tweaks throughout the 2010-11 season. He suffered a back injury during the playoffs, which eventually led to the Knicks' first-round ouster against Boston.
"It may be smart to take some recovery days," he said.
Stoudemire averaged 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 78 games last season.
Are rest days a smart idea for the Knicks and Stoudemire? Sound off below...
