Crazy⑧s
Evacuee
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton will play on Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats despite suffering a bone bruise and contusion in his left hand.
"It's going to be tough, but I'm going to play," said Felton.
The Knicks are also optimistic that Jason Kidd (back spasms) will return from a four-game absence. Kidd says he'll play against the Bobcats but might not start.
[+] Enlarge
Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports
Carmelo Anthony might have both of his point guards in the lineup Wednesday night.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson called Kidd "probable" and wants to see how the 39-year-old feels on Wednesday morning, presumably after the morning shootaround in Charlotte.
"We'll just have to play it by ear and see how he feels," Woodson said. "It would be nice to have him back."
Felton banged his left hand on Phoenix Suns guard Sebastian Telfair's knee while trying to split a double team in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' win on Sunday.
An MRI taken shortly after the game revealed the bone bruise and contusion.
Felton will play Wednesday's game with his left, non-shooting hand bandaged but doesn't believe that it will affect the way he dribbles the ball. He said he might feel discomfort catching passes and that his hand was still sore, but it's nothing he can't play through.
Assuming Kidd plays against Charlotte, the Knicks will have their full complement of point guards healthy for the first time in 10 days.
Kidd missed the past four games -- beginning with the Knicks' overtime loss to Brooklyn last Monday -- due to lower back spasms.
He is unsure how the injury originated, but said Tuesday that he is pain-free and will not have any limitations due to the injury or conditioning when he returns.
However, Kidd did not expect to start against Charlotte due to his extended absence. Woodson said he'll monitor Kidd's minutes closely because the Knicks play in Miami on Thursday and then travel to Chicago for a Saturday night game.
"I've got to be open-minded because he's here for the long haul and we don't want any setbacks," the coach said.
The Knicks (12-4) went 3-1 without Kidd with wins over Milwaukee, Washington and Phoenix.
New York was able to move the ball well and keep its turnovers to a minimum thanks to Felton and third point guard Pablo Prigioni.
Prigioni played an important role off the bench in the wins over Milwaukee and Washington. The 35-year-old rookie and longtime veteran of the Spanish League missed practice on Tuesday for personal reasons, but is expected to make the trip to Charlotte with the Knicks.
Thanks mostly to Kidd, Felton and Prigioni, the Knicks entered play Tuesday with the fewest turnovers per game and top assist-to-turnover ratio in the league.
In other injury news, Marcus Camby (sore left foot) sat out of the majority of practice on Tuesday but is expected to fly to Charlotte with the team.
The 38-year-old veteran has played sparingly for the Knicks after missing the entire training camp and preseason with a sore left calf. He's said in recent days that he feels fine physically, so his lack of playing time, particularly during blowouts, has led to questions for Woodson about Camby's role.
"Marcus is a pro about this whole thing," Woodson said. "He's going to do whatever's asked of him and he's done that. When he's really ready to play, we'll get him back out there because we're going to need him."
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/29962/felton-to-play-wednesday-kidd-might-too
"It's going to be tough, but I'm going to play," said Felton.
The Knicks are also optimistic that Jason Kidd (back spasms) will return from a four-game absence. Kidd says he'll play against the Bobcats but might not start.
[+] Enlarge
Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports
Carmelo Anthony might have both of his point guards in the lineup Wednesday night.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson called Kidd "probable" and wants to see how the 39-year-old feels on Wednesday morning, presumably after the morning shootaround in Charlotte.
Felton banged his left hand on Phoenix Suns guard Sebastian Telfair's knee while trying to split a double team in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' win on Sunday.
An MRI taken shortly after the game revealed the bone bruise and contusion.
Felton will play Wednesday's game with his left, non-shooting hand bandaged but doesn't believe that it will affect the way he dribbles the ball. He said he might feel discomfort catching passes and that his hand was still sore, but it's nothing he can't play through.
Assuming Kidd plays against Charlotte, the Knicks will have their full complement of point guards healthy for the first time in 10 days.
Kidd missed the past four games -- beginning with the Knicks' overtime loss to Brooklyn last Monday -- due to lower back spasms.
He is unsure how the injury originated, but said Tuesday that he is pain-free and will not have any limitations due to the injury or conditioning when he returns.
However, Kidd did not expect to start against Charlotte due to his extended absence. Woodson said he'll monitor Kidd's minutes closely because the Knicks play in Miami on Thursday and then travel to Chicago for a Saturday night game.
"I've got to be open-minded because he's here for the long haul and we don't want any setbacks," the coach said.
The Knicks (12-4) went 3-1 without Kidd with wins over Milwaukee, Washington and Phoenix.
New York was able to move the ball well and keep its turnovers to a minimum thanks to Felton and third point guard Pablo Prigioni.
Prigioni played an important role off the bench in the wins over Milwaukee and Washington. The 35-year-old rookie and longtime veteran of the Spanish League missed practice on Tuesday for personal reasons, but is expected to make the trip to Charlotte with the Knicks.
Thanks mostly to Kidd, Felton and Prigioni, the Knicks entered play Tuesday with the fewest turnovers per game and top assist-to-turnover ratio in the league.
In other injury news, Marcus Camby (sore left foot) sat out of the majority of practice on Tuesday but is expected to fly to Charlotte with the team.
The 38-year-old veteran has played sparingly for the Knicks after missing the entire training camp and preseason with a sore left calf. He's said in recent days that he feels fine physically, so his lack of playing time, particularly during blowouts, has led to questions for Woodson about Camby's role.
"Marcus is a pro about this whole thing," Woodson said. "He's going to do whatever's asked of him and he's done that. When he's really ready to play, we'll get him back out there because we're going to need him."
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/29962/felton-to-play-wednesday-kidd-might-too
Last edited: