Slow development of Knicks' Randolph has setback
New York Knicks' Anthony Randolph, right, is pressured for the ball by Philadelphia 76ers' Evan Turner (12), Thaddeus Young and Andres Nocioni, left, of Argentina, in the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game. (Oct. 20, 2010) Credit: AP
TORONTO - Anthony Randolph, once considered a key acquisition in a busy offseason, opened his Knicks career on crutches. But the young forward, who was the centerpiece of a four-player deal with Golden State that included the sign-and-trade of David Lee said his sprained left ankle "feels much better than it did [Tuesday]," when he injured it in practice by landing on a teammate's foot. His re-evaluation Wednesday afternoon put the recovery estimation at about two weeks.
It is the same ankle that suffered two torn ligaments and caused him to miss the final 47 games last season with Golden State, but the current injury is a separate circumstance. Randolph said he has been "doing a lot of correctives to strengthen my ankle, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been."
The injury capped what was a disappointing preseason for Randolph, who struggled to find a comfort zone in Mike D'Antoni's system and plummeted down the rotation. The coaching staff wants to develop Randolph slowly, rather than force him into game situations in which his mistakes will be magnified.
"It's a little bit of a setback," D'Antoni said of the injury, "but he's 21. He has time."
Chandler denies report
Wilson Chandler denied he participated in illegal workouts with the Knicks, allegedly run by team scout Rodney Heard, as reported by Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. The report said Chandler, a DePaul standout who was selected 23rd overall by the Knicks in 2007, was at a workout in which former Kansas star Brandon Rush injured his knee, which resulted in him returning to college that year. Rush was drafted 13th overall by the Pacers in 2008.
"As far as the situation with Brandon, I don't know nothing about that," Chandler said. "I don't even know him as a person."
Chandler said he did know of Rush through the AAU circuit and also knew Heard, who ran his own AAU club, Team Detroit. But he said he wasn't concerned about having his name attached to the alleged transgression.
"If it was true," he said, "then maybe it would be different."
Curry comeback?
Eddy Curry, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the third day of training camp, is on this season-opening road trip, which continues with tomorrow's game in Boston. Curry could be ready for practice by next week, though any chance of him seeing regular minutes in the game would depend on his conditioning. Then again, the emergence of rookie Timofey Mozgov as a starter and the value of Ronny Turiaf's energy off the bench leave little room for Curry at the center position.
