NEW YORK — In a best-case scenario for the Knicks, they will get both of their centers — Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby — back to practice this week.
Hurricane Sandy permitting.
Camby, the backup to Chandler, went through a non-contact walk-through Sunday at Madison Square Garden in what amounted to his first action in three weeks while he has coped with a sore left calf.
Afterward, he and coach Mike Woodson both said they hoped Camby could practice with the team this week in advance of Thursday’s season-opener at Brooklyn.
“I’m hoping so,” Camby said. “I’m hoping to get out there this week, get a couple practices under my belt and hopefully try to get ready for this opener.”
With Sandy threatening to knock out the Knicks’ practice Monday in Greenburgh, N.Y., it’s possible Camby and his teammates could miss a practice day.
“We probably need to get cots and put them in the practice facility because I still want to practice regardless of what the weather looks like,” Woodson said.
Asked if it was realistic that he could play Thursday at the Nets, Camby said, “I want to play if possible, but I know I’m not going to get extended minutes because I haven’t really been out there. But I’m shooting to get out there on Thursday.”
Camby said team officials haven’t ruled him out for the opener.
“They haven’t told me anything,” he said.
Said Woodson: “We’ll scrimmage again [Monday] and we’ll evaluate Marcus [Monday] after practice and then we’ll see where he is for Wednesday, and there’s a possibility he could practice.”
Camby is one of several injured Knick bigs. Amar’e Stoudemire could be out up to 4-5 weeks with a knee injury, and Chandler sat out practice again Sunday after bruising his knee in Wednesday’s preseason win over the Nets.
He hopes to return to practice Monday.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s the goal, to get out there [Monday] and practice a little bit, get a little contact, see where I’m at,” Chandler said.
Chandler said he didn’t have any soreness in his knee.
“My knee feels fine, and I’m ready to get out there,” he said.
In a best-case scenario for the Knicks, they will get both of their centers back this week.
“I’m excited to get back out there,” Camby said. “It sucks. We have other guys banged up like STAT [Stoudemire] and ‘TC.’ But hopefully we get ‘TC’ back and just go from there.”
Photo: New York Post
