GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Tyson Chandler’s bruised left knee was feeling good enough Friday that he decided to throw away his crutches.
“Once I came in today, no swelling or anything like that,” Chandler, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, said after sitting out Knicks practice. “And my back spasming [from the short crutches] I’m like, ‘Look, I can’t be missing games because of this spasming on these crutches if my knee is feeling good’ so I threw those to the side.”
After banging knees with Nets forward Gerald Wallace in Wednesday’s preseason win at the Nassau Coliseum and undergoing an MRI Thursday, Chandler hopes to be back at practice next week and to be ready for the season opener Nov. 1 at Brooklyn.
“I’m hoping that I can get back on the floor by Monday,” Chandler said. “Just kind of take it easy over the next couple days, allow it to calm down a little bit and then start conditioning and get back on the floor.”
Chandler conceded he was scared when he first went down 44 seconds into the game.
“It was for myself because I’ve never had anything like that before, didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know what it felt like,” he said. “It was just a weird, awkward feeling. And then the whole night before not sleeping until you get the MRI, and that was the best thing I could’ve heard, that everything was intact and looking strong.”
Chandler’s status is good news for the Knicks, who are facing a possible season opener without both Amar’e Stoudemire (knee) and Marcus Camby (left calf).
“Very happy,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “Again, it’s day-to-day. Don’t know when he’s going to get back out on the floor, but the severity of it wasn’t as bad as we thought so that’s a good thing.”
He added: “When he tells me he’s ready to go and doctor says he’s ready to go, then he’ll be back out on the floor.”
