After missing about a month due to a back injury, Amare Stoudemire is back into the New York Knicks starting line-up as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. Stoudemire will see minutes, but it's unsure how many.
"Don't know how many minutes I'll play him, just kind of gauge it as we go along. It's good to have him back," said Mike Woodson.
Stoudemire missed 13 games in his absence, but the Knicks were able to do well as they know jumped up to holding the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference now. Stoudemire has had back issues last year in the playoffs against the Celtics, but he claims all the pain is gone now.
"I'm actually pain free. I don't feel any pain at all," he said.
New York has gone 9-4 since Amare's absence, but have been doing solid under Carmelo Anthony, who has been carrying this team and is doing a good job of it.
"It gives us another big-time player in the lineup," Woodson said. "We're solid now. When you got Amare, (Tyson Chandler), Melo on the front line, that's as good as it gets. I just gotta make it work and I think I can do that."
We'll see how it works out tonight.
Now all the Knicks need is for Jeremy Lin to hopefully be back in the playoffs.
