Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd expected to be available against Charlotte
Raymond Felton drives past Jeremy Lin. (Nov. 23, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Raymond Felton's left hand was wrapped with padded tape Tuesday, and the Knicks guard admitted after practice that it felt "pretty sore." Still, Felton said the bone bruise in his non-shooting hand would not keep him out of Wednesday night's game at Charlotte.
"It's going to be tough," Felton said, "but I'm going to play."
Joining him could be Jason Kidd, the Knicks' 39-year-old guard who has missed four games with back spasms. Coach Mike Woodson called Kidd "probable" but was waiting to see how he felt this morning. Woodson did not get into how Kidd would be used, though Kidd said he did not think he would start against Charlotte and would work his way back in with the second team.
If both guards play, it will mark the first time in 10 days that the Knicks have had their full complement of point guards. And that is welcome news for the 12-4 team as Wednesday night's game opens a three-game road trip that also includes stops in Miami Thursday and Chicago Saturday.
"It's good to be back on the floor with the guys," Kidd said after practice. "They're playing extremely well. Hopefully I don't interfere with that."
The Knicks went 3-1 without Kidd, following an overtime loss to the Nets with wins over Milwaukee, Washington and Phoenix. A big reason why was the play of Felton along with help from Pablo Prigioni, the team's No. 3 point guard. Prigioni missed practice because of personal reasons but was expected to be on the trip with the Knicks.
Felton injured his hand against the Suns after hitting it on Sebastian Telfair's knee on Sunday. An MRI taken after the game revealed the bone bruise. Felton said he didn't think the bruise would impact his shooting or dribbling.
"It kind of hurts when the ball hits my hand from a pass, but I can deal with that type of pain," Felton said.
It would have taken a great amount of pain for Felton to miss Wednesday night's game. He played his first five NBA seasons with Charlotte after winning the 2005 NCAA title at the University of North Carolina. Felton is from nearby Latta, S.C., and said he will have a number of friends and family at the game.
Said Felton: "I definitely want to play that game. It's going to be a good feeling to see everybody. But I want to help my team get the win."
Notes & quotes: The Knicks may have more good news on the injury front coming soon, judging from Amar'e Stoudemire's tweet after practice. Tweeted Stoudemire: "#workout complete. Thanks to David, Anthony and Andy #knicks trainers. Be back soon. Stay Tune." . . . Marcus Camby (sore left foot) sat out of most of practice but was expected to fly with the team to Charlotte. Camby, 38, missed the entire training camp with a sore left calf and has had a limited role with the team this season.
