After he missed 73 games last season and Summer League, pardon us if we take the latest Kelenna Azubuike report with a grain of salt.
According to Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy (via twitter) Azubuike’s camp think he’ll be ready for the season opener. Training camp, not so much. This isn’t much different than we heard from the Knicks a month ago.
The Knicks need to take their time and go slow here. Azubuike is an explosive athlete that is a fantastic fit in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Knicks fans will love him. He will eventually pass Wilson Chandler for the starting two guard spot, just watch.
Because of that potential, the Knicks cannot risk anything short of full recovery. Let him miss camp. Let him miss half of November. Control his minutes and keep them down when he first returns, slowly building them up. After all this recovery, better to go slow than have a setback. You don’t want a lingering issue.
Getting the conditioning and explosiveness back will take time. But the result is worth the wait. Knicks brass and fans just have to be patient.