New York Knicks guard Kelenna Azubuike ahead of schedule
Kelenna Azubuike is scheduled to return to
the New York Knicks
on Christmas Day, but the sharp-shooting guard said that he might be available earlier than expected because his knee is not bothering him anymore.
Azubuike, who was acquired by the Knicks along with Anthony Randolph and Ronny Turiaf in the trade that sent David Lee to the Golden State Warriors, is already participating in their practices
on a limited basis after being sidelined for a year.
The 26-year-old guard, who underwent a patella tendon surgery on 18 November 2009, believes he will be ready for full-time practices one to two weeks away from now, depending on the recommendation
of their team doctors.
“It's about that time,” said Azubuike, who averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with Warriors last season before sustaining the season-ending injury. “It's getting really close.
I smell it. A couple of more scrimmages under my belt, and I will be good to go. It's just a matter of time.”
Although he is very eager to play and the Knicks badly need his outside-shooting prowess, Azubuike said that they are still taking a cautious approach and they want to make sure that he is
fully healed before making his comeback.
“My goal is to come back 100 percent,” Azubuike said. “I'm not worried. At first, I was. Now I feel myself progressing. That is the main thing. I feel I am getting better. If I felt stagnant
and felt I was not getting better. I'd be discouraged.”
In another team development, head coach Mike D’Antoni said that he would continue to take Anthony Randolph out of their rotation. According to D’Antoni, Randolph has not performed his role
well in their first 12 games, committing costly turnovers and errors in rebounding.
“Right now, it's all about the Knicks,” D’Antoni said when asked about Randolph. “I told him, right now, this is all about the team and I've got to go with my gut and he might play and he
might not. We'll worry about individuals after we get out of the hole a little bit.”
The Knicks have started the season with a disappointing 4-8 record, but they will try to bag their fifth win on Friday 19 November when they take on the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle
Arena in Oakland.
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