Knicks shooting guard Ronnie Brewer will practice Sunday on a day off and could play for the first time this preseason on Monday when the Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers in Syracuse.
“Coach Woody said he wanted me to go and practice with some contact,” Brewer, who has been out while he recovers from knee surgery, told MSG’s Tina Cervasio on air.
Coach Mike Woodson said he would give Brewer a chance to show himself on Sunday.
“There’ll be enough guys where he can run up and down and bang a little bit to see where he is,” Woodson said in Montreal, according to the New York Post. “It depends. If he reacts well and responds well to the banging, we’ll evaluate Monday and see where it is. And I’ll possibly give him a few minutes to see where he is (Monday).’’
The Knicks are short on shooting guards right now, as Brewer, J.R. Smith (Achilles) and Chris Smith (knee surgery) are all out, but Brewer seems anxious to return.
“I’m just conditioning right now, just anxiously waiting to get out there with some teammates,” said Brewer, who has been running and lifting weights and trying to simulate game experiences.
Brewer, who signed a one-year contract with the Knicks after spending two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, believes he can help the team as the potential starting shooting guard on opening night Nov. 1 in Brooklyn.
“Anything that he needs from me, I’m willing to do it,” Brewer said. “Everybody knows I can play defense. I’ll take a charge from some of the best two and threes in the league.
“With such stars on the team as Melo, STAT [Amar’e Stoudemire], Tyson [Chandler], [Steve] Novak shooting the ball, J.R. when he comes back, [Iman] Shumpert when he comes back, it’s going to make my game a lot easier. Just be able to play basketball, cut without the basketball, make the right reads and finish when I get the ball.”
Photo: NBA.com
