If losing 117-89 to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night wasn't bad enough, the New York Knicks may also be without big men Amar'e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin the next several games, according to Chris Goff of ESPN New York.
Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin could miss multiple games for Knicks
Stoudemire and Martin both suffered left ankle injuries in an ugly loss to the Pacers, while Tim Hardaway Jr. hurt his left wrist.
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Both Stoudemire and Martin suffered ankle injuries in the ugly loss to the Pacers, adding to a season-long trend of health woes for New York. Every time it appears the Knicks are getting healthy, another player, or players in this case, go down.
Martin got hurt first, spraining his chronically injured left ankle in the second quarter after colliding with Lance Stephenson. Martin didn’t return to the game. The 36-year-old missed three games earlier in the season dealing with a sore left ankle.
Meanwhile, Stoudemire sprained his left ankle on a drive to the basket in the third quarter. X-rays were negative, but the injury will be re-evaluated Friday to determine whether an MRI is needed. Stoudemire is hoping not to miss much time:
“Right now, it’s throbbing pretty good because the trauma happened not so long ago,” Stoudemire said. “We’ll sit down and see how it feels. I’m going to bounce back from this and get back to what I was before. Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later.”
Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, one of the few to show up against the Pacers, said after the game that he had heard Stoudemire's sprain was "really bad."
With Stoudemire and Martin likely on the shelf for the time being, the Knicks find themselves once again strapped for quality depth in the frontcourt. Cole Aldrich has barely played and the recently acquired Jeremy Tyler is completely unproven. Knicks head coach Mike Woodson may be forced to play more small ball with Anthony at the 4, which has been successful in the past.
In addition to the Stoudemire and Martin injuries, rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr. sprained his left wrist against Indiana. Hardaway claimed he'd be okay to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, it's the same wrist Hardaway sprained over the summer, an injury that kept him out of the final four games of Summer League. X-rays were negative.
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