Lance Thomas to Miss 4 Weeks After Knee Surgery

Lance_Thomas

Lance Thomas will miss the rest of November and part of December after undergoing left knee surgery yesterday (November 8).

The procedure, which was done to remove “loose bodies” in the knee, was conducted at the Hospital for Special Surgery by Dr. Answorth Allen.

Thomas has already begun rehab and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Thomas has started 5 games this season and is averaging 4 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes

***

Knees are always a concern when it comes to surgeries, but this doesn’t appear too serious at the moment.

If anything, this provides a great opportunity for Kevin Knox and Mario Hezonja to get more minutes and experience.

Carmelo Anthony to End 2015 Season for Left Knee Surgery

Melo_wave

Carmelo Anthony will announce the end of his season later today to undergo left knee surgery, per NBA sources.

Anthony has played most of the season with recurring left knee soreness, forcing the Knicks to reduce his minutes and allow sit-outs on back to back games. Before last Sunday’s All-Star game, Anthony told the media that he’d likely forego the rest of the season for surgery.

Anthony’s knee ailment was revealed as requiring left knee patella tendon debridement and repair. Per Knicks president Phil Jackson, Anthony will be sidelined 4-6 months.

What we’re finding out from the medical is on court, it could be four to six months. We can’t put it at a timetable until after the surgery. But that’s what they’re saying. They say it can be anywhere between four to six months for Carmelo to be back on the floor.

But we’re really confident he’ll heal well and he’ll be fine

The Knicks limped into All-Star weekend on a five game losing streak and currently sport the worst record in the league at 10-43.

*************************

I’ve seen some people online trying to spin this into another reason to criticize Melo for being selfish and not looking out for the team. In reality, this is a move to ensure the team’s future.

Even if Melo started playing the best basketball of his life, this Knicks team has no chance of making the playoffs. Further play only risks creating an even more serious knee injury and putting the future production of our franchise player in peril. Letting the team continue on this path sans Melo keeps the Knicks in play for a top draft pick and also opens another roster spot for our young D-League talent to gain experience.

With all that said, the disaster that has been the 2015 season is humbling. JR, Shump, Melo and Stat are all off the floor in a matter of months.

Amar’e Stoudemire Out Indefinitely with Knee Swelling?

Stat

The questions about if Amar’e Stoudemire’s knees would hold up sans a minute restriction have been answered, as the injury-ridden former All-Star may be sitting indefinitely due to swelling.

The news came in scrimmage practice following the Knicks’ 102-101 loss at home to the Washington Wizards. According to Coach Mike Woodson, Stoudemire could be “out a while” due to the flare-ups.

Last night, Stoudemire took to Twitter and refuted the injury claims, stating he is only being held back as a precaution.

Fans, IM NOT INJURED, just want u to know I’m ONLY stay’n bk bc of 6 games n 9 days w/ bk2bks! Body & Knees feel great!

The Knicks play tonight on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.

***********************************

While I’d like to share Stat’s optimism, history tells me the man is banged up. This injury now reduces the Knicks available big men to Andrea Bargnani and Cole Aldrich. Tyson Chandler may be back this week, but likely not for tonight. I’m convinced the boxing gods hate us…

 

Amar’e Stoudemire Had Undisclosed Knee Surgery Over Summer

Stat_Heat

The questions about Amar’e Stoudemire’s health have intensified today with the disclosure that the veteran forward underwent an unreported knee surgery in July.

The New York Daily News states Stoudemire had the surgery as a “clean-up” procedure on one of the knees.

The sugery marks the third knee procedure Stoudemire has undergone in the last 12 months. Last year, Stoudemire missed the beginning of the season due to a debridement surgery on his right knee. The same procedure, this time on his left knee, caused him to miss the end of the regular season and a total of 53 games.

At press time, the Knicks are preparing for their opening media day. Stoudemire has yet to release a statement.

********************************

I doubt many of us were expecting much from Stat this year, but it’s still disheartening to hear that he’s had yet another surgery. I’m not deterred by the claim it’s not “serious.” Anything having to do with Stat’s knees is serious, as the last 12 months have shown.

I’m sure Amar’e will downplay this and claim he’s in “phenomenal shape,” but it serves as another warning for Knicks coach Mike Woodson that Stat will have to be on a meticulously-managed minute schedule. I’d be shocked if we see him play more than 15 minutes a game this season unless we’re severely short-handed.

Stoudemire’s Season Ends with Second Knee Surgery

Stat

Amar’e Stoudemire’s productive comeback to the 2012-2013 season is now over with the confirmation that he will miss at least six weeks to have another knee debridement surgery.

Stoudemire missed the first two months of the season following the November 1 procedure on his left knee for a burst cyst. The pending surgery will be on his right knee and was discovered when Stoudemire complained of soreness in both knees following the Knicks’s 95-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Stoudemire has come off the bench since his January 1 return, but saw a marked increase in minutes after Carmelo Anthony went down with a sore knee in a March 4 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stoudemire had been on a 30-minute playing cap per his last surgery.

Stoudemire was averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 57% from the field.

At press time, the Knicks are expected to open the rotation back up to include additional role players like Chris Copeland.

********************************************************

Absolutely devastating. Per the tentative timeline, Stoudemire could be back in the playoffs by the end of the first or sometime in the second round if the Knicks get that far. But do we really want to risk playing Stoudemire fresh out of surgery in the grueling, physical atmosphere of the playoffs? This news pretty much declares to me he’s done for the year.

This puts all of the scoring load back on Melo and JR. When they’re hot, it will be thrilling stuff. When they’re not, it’ll be like watching a cat playing with a mouse (ie. a slow death). That goes for the rest of our squad — we are truly living and dying by the three-point shot for the rest of the year. This is the second player we’ve lost to injury (Rasheed Wallace being the first), and our star player in Carmelo Anthony has already missed 10 games from the wear and tear of heavy minutes and playing at power forward for most of the year. Coach Woodson said he planned on trying to get Melo’s minutes down to 35. For that to happen, someone has to step up big and I mean Linsanity-like big.

The Knicks front office have some tough decisions to make this off-season.

Happy New Year! Amar’e Stoudemire to Make 1/1/13 Debut Against Trailblazers

stat

Knicks co-captain Amar’e Stoudemire will make his long-awaited season debut tonight at Madison Square Garden against the Portland Trailblazers.

Stoudemire had been sidelined the entire season after undergoing a left knee debridement procedure in October. He completed his first scrimmage on December 19 and completed a full contact practice with no problems.

Stoudemire is expected to come off the bench for the forseeable future, manning a formidable second unit with the team’s second leading scorer, JR Smith.

Source: Yahoo Sports

******************************************

A low-post presence? More rebounding? Scoring help? Stat’s return couldn’t have come at a better time with Melo and Sheed questionable for tonight. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Stat has a monster game to start his season off right. I know for sure the Garden will give him a thunderous ovation. Once Shumpert is back, the circle will be complete.

[Video] Amar’e Stoudemire Speaks On First Practice Since Knee Surgery

Stat

Amar’e Stoudemire completed his first scrimmage workout yesterday with no problems for the D-League Erie Bayhawks. With his comeback just a few games away, Stoudemire wanted to test his left knee which underwent a debridement in October and has caused him to miss every game thus far thid season.

The clip below is less than a minute, but we can see that Amar’e is in great shape. In addition, he previously confirmed that he was no problem coming off the bench as needed, making a possible second unit anchored by Amar’e and JR Smith a nightmare for most B-squads in the league.

And as the Houston game showed, we’re in sore need of a reliable second scorer when Melo is out.

Ronnie Brewer X-Rays Negative, Suffers Dislocated Finger

 

Our banged-up Knicks squad avoided another serious injury as X-Rays last night were negative on Ronnie Brewer’s left ring finger. Brewer left last night’s physical game against the Nets in the fourth quarter after injuring his finger trying to swipe the ball away from Brook Lopez. Brewer has already been playing through pain since the beginning of the month when a court collision produced swelling on his left knee. At press time, the Knicks haven’t disclosed if Brewer will miss any time.