Carmelo Anthony has missed three straight games due to a sore right knee, and the Knicks announced Saturday that Amar’e Stoudemire will undergo right knee debridement surgery later this week. Stoudemire is expected to miss the rest of the regular season as he will be sidelined for approximately six weeks.
Knee injuries are nothing new for Stoudemire — they are what made the $100 million contract he signed in 2010 uninsurable. But after the power forward missed the first two months of this season recovering from surgery on his left knee, the Knicks had been limiting his play to only 30 minutes a game in an effort to protect his health and prevent more injuries. The cautious approach seemed to be working until Stoudemire didn’t participate in Saturday morning’s shootaround because of soreness in both of his knees. He had an MRI later the same day that revealed surgery would be required.
Leading the Brooklyn Nets by 2 ½ games, the Knicks hope Stoudemire will be back to full health for the playoffs. The big man has averaged 14.2 points in 29 games coming off the bench.
