New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin rules out return in first round of playoffs – NBA Update
New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has stated that he does not anticipate a return to active court duty in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The star injured his knee and had surgery, which the Knicks have said went well.
Jeremy himself has communicated that his knee feels better now and he is hopeful for a complete recovery, however he did not envisage pushing the timetable.
The Knicks have struggled this season and it wasn’t until Jeremy burst onto the scene, leading the side to 7 straight victories, until they looked like making it to the playoffs. Jeremy’s magic started to wear off soon however and even the rising star couldn’t
help the Knicks carry forward some momentum.
With victories few and far between, coach Mike D’Antoni resigned from his position and was replaced by Mike Woodson. Results have picked up again but Jeremy is out for the season.
He might yet still feature, but Lin believes that will depend on his teammates' progress in the playoffs. At the moment though, it is not even confirmed if the Knicks would make into the post season, and if they do, a tough matchup awaits them against one
of the top seeds.
Lin wants to help his team, obviously, but also doesn’t want to aggravate the injury.
"It depends on how far and how long it goes," Lin said. "But obviously I want to get to 100 percent and then come back, hopefully see what I can do. By then it'll be a different team identity, chemistry, so it gets tricky, too. Yeah, I'm doing everything,
we're doing everything we can to get back as soon as possible."
In his absence Carmelo Anthony is carrying the load for New York, with Amar’e Stoudemire also ruled out for the season with a back injury. In fact, all of New York’s big names have been out for lengths in the condensed NBA season, and some are pointing to
the demanding schedule as a reason for their plight.
Jeremy didn’t know what to make of it. The point guard explained that he might still have gotten injured, but with the games coming thick and fast, it certainly does place extra pressure on the body.
"I still may have gotten hurt. That's hard to say," Lin said. "I mean, I think obviously a condensed schedule can be harder on people's bodies. I don't know if that was the exact cause. I don't know if I would have still gotten hurt if it was a normal season.
That's kind of hard to guess."
In his absence, Carmelo Anthony carried the side to another impressive win over the Chicago Bulls. Lin will be hoping Melo can keep New York’s campaign alive until he gets back to fitness.
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