By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
GREENBURGH, N.Y. –- At practice on the day before the Knicks look to climb out of an 0-2 first-round playoff hole against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden, interim head coach Mike Woodson confirmed that Carmelo Anthony will start at power forward.
That’s the good news seeing as how he flourished there last month with Amar’e Stoudemire sidelined with a bulging disk in his lower back.
The bad news is that Anthony technically playing out of position on Thursday night is one of few certainties for a Knicks lineup that is very much in flux with the season nearing the brink.
Anthony will return to power forward with Stoudemire on the shelf thanks to smashing the glass encasing holding a fire extinguisher with his left hand after the Knicks’ 104-94 loss in Game 2 on Monday.
Rookie guard Iman Shumpert (torn left ACL, lateral meniscus) and Jeremy Lin (torn left meniscus) are also on the shelf butWoodson would not commit to a starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon.
“I’ll get a chance to sleep on it, watch a little more tape and make the decision tomorrow,” said Woodson, who went 18-6 to close the regular season after taking over for Mike D’Antoni. “I feel great about our guys and the position we’re in. Yeah, we would’ve liked to have won one of the two games there, but they took care of their home court.”
While Woodson was coy on what he would do with his lineup for Game 3, conventional wisdom says Baron Davis will continue to run the point, Landry Fields will remain a starter in place of Shumpert and Anthony will be joined down low by newly-minted NBA Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler.
That leaves one starter still to be named and it is very likely to come down to Steve Novak or J.R. Smith. Both guys have been key contributors off the bench for both Woodson as well as D’Antoni and both guys are probably more comfortable coming off the bench, Be that as it may, someone will be thrust in there for heavier minutes than normal with the season hanging in the balance.
“We’re obviously ever-changing. With Iman going down and now Stat (Stoudemire), obviously things will have to change,” Novak said. “We just know we have to have guys step up right now. Whatever coach asks me to do, whether it’s start or come off the bench. Obviously I’ve come off the bench all year, but if that’s what he asks me to do, I’ll be ready for sure.”
Starting Smith and rolling the dice with heavy minutes would seem to be the better option. While the midseason acquisition can fill it up in bunches, he also brings more to the table on defense, something that will be of vital importance with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade lurking.
Novak led the NBA in 3-point percentage during the regular season (133-for-282, 47.2 percent) and can also light it up from deep, but is limited defensively.
“Nobody never said it was gonna be easy,” Anthony said. “Guys that haven’t been playing have to step up and get ready for the challenge that faces us tomorrow. We’re gonna need everybody.
“We just gotta be ready to play tomorrow. That’s the end all, be all.”
LIN PLAYS 3-ON-3, STATUS UNCERTAIN
Lin, out since March 24 with the torn left meniscus for which he had surgery on April 2, played 3-on-3 at the end of practice with Woodson saying it was the first time he’s been able to go up and down. Lin looked decidedly better in a fullcourt setting than he did on April 25 when he struggled to move laterally while going through shooting drills with a strength and conditioning at the end of shootaround that day.
Woodson confirmed Lin will not play in Game 3, but has not ruled out a possible return in Game 4. The next step in potentially getting Lin back on the court will be to see how his knee responds on Thursday after Wednesday’s practice….If Lin plays Sunday, he could potentially be joined by Stoudemire. The six-time All-Star has been ruled out of Game 3, doubtful for Game 4 and will be reassessed after that if there are games to be played. That status was according to the team on Tuesday night, but in addressing the media Wednesday morning, Stoudemire said. “I think there’s a great chance I’ll play Sunday night, not totally sure yet.”
Photo: NY Post
