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GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Amar’e Stoudemire participated in a walk-through with his teammates on Thursday, scrimmaged in a four-on-four and then ran sprints by himself up and down the practice court.
Before an assemblage of more than 20 reporters, he then proclaimed himself ready to play “at a high level” as he prepares to return in Game 3 on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.
But as the Knicks get ready to integrate the six-time All-Star for the first time since he underwent a right knee debridement in March, head coach Mike Woodson faces a delicate balancing act.
As much as the Knicks need big guys down low to battle Roy Hibbert, David West and the Pacers’ front line, Woodson will have to manage Stoudemire’s expectations so that he understands that his roll will be limited. Woodson said Stoudemire will play between 10-15 minutes assuming in Game 3 there are no setbacks Friday, when Stoudemire is expected to have a recovery day.
“We’ve talked a little bit about that,” Woodson said of managing Stoudemire’s expectations. “We talked about it way back when he had the surgery [in March], what we expected from him, based on him coming back because I thought maybe we might have pushed him too much early on.
“This time we really gotta be cautious and he understands it.”
Asked if Stoudemire was receptive to the talk, Woodson said, “Absolutely, he has no choice.”
Stoudemire had surgery on his left knee in October and then returned in January, averaging 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while accepting his role as a bench player and never complaining. He was sidelined in early March with a right knee injury.
Stoudemire looked better Thursday than he did when he appeared very rusty and winded during a three-on-three on Monday.
“Today was a great day, a great sign, I recovered from the first practices good,” Stoudemire said. “I was able to mix it up with the actual team and get out there with those guys, and so I did a lot more today than I did the other day. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”
He said he feels “similar as I did when I came back the first time [in January].”
At that point, he scored six points on 3-of-8 shooting in his first game back and scored in double-figures in just three of his first six games back.
Then he began to consistently assert himself by scoring on dunks and in the paint. He scored in double-figures in 12 straight games, including three of 20 points or more.
Stoudemire said he plans to “continue to get in shape throughout these playoffs. Every day is going to be a work ethic to get in better shape.”
Still, when he does step on the court in Indiana on Saturday, he said he expects to play at an elite level.
“No, I can still play at a high level,” he said. “The object of playing this game of basketball is to be the best you can be, and try to work to become a great player.
“Despite injuries, I still have to work toward becoming that great player again.”
Aside from coming back from knee surgery in the postseason, another complication for Stoudemire is that he plays the same position, power forward, as the Knicks’ best player, Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 29 minutes in the postseason.
Unless Anthony spends time at the three, Stoudemire will likely only play when Anthony is not on the court.
“To be honest with you, I don’t think we or he can expect him to come out and play 20-30 minutes and score 15 , 20 or 30 points,” Anthony said. “I think he’s just trying to get out there, get himself back going. He understands, we understand that, but if he say he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. If he can help us, which we know he can, he can do that.”
“We could really use him right now,” Tyson Chandler said of Stoudemire. “We’re playing aginst a big team, big lineups. It’s a great opportunity for him to be out there. It will give us scoring presence on the block and so we could really use him right now. He’s been looking good so far. ”
After playing in just 29 games this season, Stoudemire is excited about contributing to a potentially deep playoff run.
“It means everything to really to be able to contribute and really contend for a title,” he said. “Obviously, we got a lot more to go. We got another game to win in Indiana, Game 3, but to be able to contribute would be awesome.”
For now, his contributions will almost certainly be limited and the man who once accepted a $100 million contract to come to New York and proclaimed “The Knicks are back” will have to learn to manage his expectations.
