NY KNICKS Forward Amare Stoudemire Out for the Rest of the Season

Amare Stoudemire out for the rest of the season.

Amare Stoudemire will have his second knee debridement surgery in four months that will put him out six weeks in a stunning turn of events that could threaten their lofty playoff hopes. This surgery will be on his right knee as opposed to Nov. 1's surgery that was on his left knee. 


That would put Stoudemire out until the first or second round of the playoffs. Stoudemire had an MRI this afternoon and he elected to have the surgery. He didn't attend today's shoot-around because of two sore knees stemming from the increased amount of minutes he played the last three games. 


"He's been very efficient with how he's been playing,'' said a dejected Mike Woodson. "I feel for Amaré. He put a lot of work in this summer to get back on the court. Now he's got to go back in again. I feel for him as a young man because he's put in so much hard work. But we have to go on.'' 

Stoudemire surpassed the medical staff’s 30-minute cap twice during the two-game Rust Belt trip for the first time this season. Stoudemire did stay under the cap vs. Oklahoma City Friday.


Stoudemire’s minutes jumped noticeably once Melo went down with a sore/stiff right knee in Cleveland Monday. Stoudemire played 32 minutes in Cleveland and 30:55 in Detroit.


Stoudemire will finish the regular season having played 29 games. He averaged 14.2 points on 57.7 percent shooting in 23.5 minutes. He established a low-post game for the first time in his career and was effective. 


Carmelo Anthony is also undergoing knee trouble and missed his third straight game last night vs. Utah.


The Knicks may be without Anthony tonight in their final home game vs. Utah before the rugged five-game Western trip. Melo also didn’t participate in the shoot-around, and stayed back in the trainer’s room. Melo is a “game-time decisions’’ but seems unlikely to play.


“We talked a little bit today and he said it was so-so,’’ Woodson said of Anthony. “We’ll just have to see if he’s ready to go tonight.’’ 


Anthony has fluid in his knee causing stiffness. Woodson was asked if Anthony would undergo a procedure to drain the fluid and Woodson said he is in the dark on the issue. 
Stiffness in the back of the knee often can be caused by cartilage wear-and-tear — a chronic problem — according to medical experts. 


“I’m not the doctor,’’ Woodson said. “I don’t know what they plan on doing. I know he’s getting his treatment. You don’t always have to drain it. The swelling can go away that way as well. We have to give it time and see what happens.’’


The Knicks won in Miami without Melo and Stoudemire in December. It will be the 10th game Anthony has missed on the season. They are 4-5 without Anthony. 


The Stoudemire/Anthony knee injuries has reopened the door for rookie forward Chris Copeland, who played in Belgium the past two seasons. Copeland has been deactivated since Marcus Camby returned vs. Miami Sunday but Woodson said he will dust him off. Copeland is a scorer and has been in Woodson’s doghouse because of his lax defense and practice habits


“Cope becomes a player tonight,’’ Woodson said. “Marcus (Camby), K-Mart can play a little more. It’s got to be a total team effort. That’s the beauty of what we did this summer. Key guys go down. Other guys have to perform, no matter who it is.’’