Azubuike hopes to return soon; coach not as optimistic
New York Knicks' Kelenna Azubuike at Media Day at the MSG Training Facility. (Sept. 24, 2010) Credit: AP
SAN FRANCISCO - Mike D'Antoni still views Kelenna Azubuike as a package he won't be able to open until Christmas. But the 26-year-old guard is aiming more for Thanksgiving. "It's about that time," he said after running through three pickup games after Knicks practice at The Olympic Club. "It's getting close. I can smell it."
It was exactly a year ago that he had surgery in Phoenix to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, an injury he suffered Nov. 14 while playing for the Warriors.
Azubuike, who was one of three players the Knicks received in the David Lee sign-and-trade deal with Golden State, spoke confidently about his progress on the court, but to anyone watching, he still seemed to be moving carefully and did not show a great deal of explosiveness, which is a notable part of his game.
D'Antoni is rooting hard for Azubuike's comeback, but he remains skeptical that he'll be available before Jan. 1.
"His gait's still got to get better, but that's up to the trainers," D'Antoni said while watching Azubuike, who guarded rookie Andy Rautins in the scrimmages. "Like I've said before, I don't see it before Christmas or after Christmas. I just don't see it, but, hey, surprise me, because I'd love to be surprised. He deserves it. He's been working hard and he's a great kid. We could use him."
Azubuike would give the Knicks much-needed depth at shooting guard, a position at which the team has managed to get by mainly because of the surprisingly quick adaptation of rookie Landry Fields. But at full health, Azubuike is a tough defender and a good three-point shooter. The key phrase, of course, is at full health.
"All it is is getting used to it, really," Azubuike said after peeling off strategically placed athletic tape meant to stabilize the knee. "It feels good. Getting better and better. It's only a matter of time now, maybe get a couple more practices under my belt . . . but it's just a matter of time."
Notes & quotes: Amar'e Stoudemire looked extremely concerned when told that Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will need microfracture surgery on his left knee just three years after Oden had the same procedure on his right knee. Stoudemire, who is one of the few NBA players who have been able to come back from microfracture without any residual effects, said, "Twice is something I'd wish on no one. It's up to him to keep his goals in mind and just try to succeed. He's got to push through it; it's going to be tough." . . . Timofey Mozgov has a sore left calf and is listed as questionable for tonight's game against the Warriors. That could open a spot in the rotation for Anthony Randolph, who recorded his first DNP of the season Wednesday in Sacramento . . . David Lee was released from Stanford Hospital Thursday after spending the week getting treated for an infection in his left elbow in a deep gash caused when he collided with Wilson Chandler's front teeth Nov. 10 at the Garden. His arm remains in a splint and he will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
