After being pulled out of Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons, Amar’e Stoudemire told members of the press that his back tightened up a bit, that he was pulled for “precautionary reasons,” and that he would be available to play when the Knicks took on the Milwaukee Bucks in a game with playoff implications on Monday night.
Well, that was then, this is now.
At about 6pm on Monday–90 minutes before tip off–the Knicks announced that an MRI revealed that Stoudemire had a bulging disc and would be out indefinitely.
The Knicks currently lead the ninth place Milwaukee Bucks by just 1.5 games for the East’s final playoff spot. What makes matters worse is that Stoudemire just recently began to resemble the player that was regularly serenaded with “MVP” chants by the Garden faithful.
Led mostly by his effort, the Knicks have gone 6-1 over their past 7.
Now, with Stoudemire out for the foreseeable future, the final push to the playoffs will at least begin without him.
Stoudemire reportedly left New York to see a back specialist in Miami. He will get a second opinion. As of right now, surgery is not considered an option; but it also hasn’t been ruled out.
There is no definitive timetable for Stoudemire’s return.
– In related news, Jeremy Lin was a late scratch from Monday’s game, as well.. Lin is battling a sore knee and is listed as day to day. “I just needed some rest,” he said prior to the matchup against the Bucks. Lin couldn’t say whether or not he’d be able to play against the Orlando Magic when they visit the Garden on Wednesday. “I’m day to day right now, so we’ll see.”