Today's Burning Question: Should Amar'e Stoudemire play on Tuesday if his knee is still bothering him?

Shortly after practicing with his teammates for the first time in more than two months on Sunday, Amar'e Stoudemire said he feels only 80 percent healthy because of lingering soreness in his knee.

The star forward hopes to improve markedly over the next two days so he can play Tuesday against Portland. But even if he doesn't get there, he's willing to play hurt to help out the banged-up Knicks.

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Stoudemire should be commended for sacrificing his health for the team. But there's no need to put him out there if he's nowhere near 100 percent.

The Knicks, it's worth noting, are 21-9 and humming along without Stoudemire. So why force Stoudemire back when he's still admittedly feeling soreness in his knee?

The Knicks have waited two months for their $100 million forward. In the grand scheme of an 82-game season, it doesn't really matter if he plays on Tuesday against Portland or Thursday against San Antonio. Or, heaven forbid, Saturday at Orlando.

It's more important to have Stoudemire at full health in April, when the Knicks hope to be gearing up for a playoff run.

Stoudemire acknowledged as much on Sunday when he said, "I have to make sure I stay patient ... because the most important months are March and April, going to the postseason."

Exactly. Which is why there's no need to force it on Tuesday.

Unless he somehow wakes up Tuesday morning feeling close to 100 percent, Stoudemire should sit against Portland.

It's more important to have him healthy for a seven-game series against Miami than Game No. 31 of the regular season.

QUESTION: What do you think? Should Stoudemire play on Tuesday if he isn't anywhere near 100 percent?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Thank God for the fast start to this season, or we might be forced to rush him back.

I want to agree with ChuckBuck...but man...we need his offense out there..even if its just for 10-15 minutes a game.

I say yes but in a VERY limited role. Whats the difference between him going full contact at practice or playing in a real game? Put him out there for a few minutes and let him knock the rust off that way.

Bonn1997 wrote:

The star forward hopes to improve markedly over the next two days

This part stood out to me. It sounds unrealistic. It took him two months to get to 80% and he's gonna get substantially better in 2 days?

Maybe he is just trying to get some more praise for when he plays. "wow look at Amar'e playing when he is not even 100% blah blah blah.." WHo knows. Anyway, I say wait.

New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire will make his season debut on Tuesday against Portland, league source tells Y! Sports.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/sports/basketball/still-hurt-amare-stoudemire-is-itching-to-help-knicks.html?ref=basketball

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire could play for the first time this season on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Although his injured knee is not healed, he said, he is ready to do what he can.

Amar'e Stoudemire said he would sacrifice his health for the betterment of the team.

“We’re pretty banged up as a team, so we need bodies on the court right now,” Stoudemire said Sunday after practicing with teammates for the first time since he had surgery on his left knee Oct. 31. He added, “If I have to sacrifice my health a little bit for the betterment of the team, then I will.”

Stoudemire scrimmaged and did conditioning work. With several players injured, only about half the team was present at the training center. Stoudemire, who ran the floor and did a number of low-post moves against Kurt Thomas, said he felt better than he did a week ago when he practiced with the Erie BayHawks, the Knicks’ Development League team. He said he would decide after Monday’s practice whether he would try to play against Portland at Madison Square Garden.

“If the next two days go well, and I continue to improve, that will be a great day to start playing,” Stoudemire said.

Of his knee, he said, “Hopefully I get a good reaction out of it tomorrow after a long, hard day.”

Stoudemire said that he was still not as explosive as he would like to be and that he felt pain in his knee at certain points.

“I can do pretty much do anything, but it just feels sore when I do certain moves,” he said. “I don’t want to have that feeling because it forces me to overcompensate. I don’t want to have that problem.”

Stoudemire might have to deal with that issue regardless of how healthy he is. Coach Mike Woodson said Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star who has had three knee operations, might not get back to 100 percent.

“Just having him back in uniform is a plus when that time comes,” Woodson said. “He gives us another big that’s capable of scoring points and that can rebound the ball.”

Stoudemire will be asked to try to mesh with several of his teammates without the benefit of having practiced with some of them.

“I’ll try to put him in positions where he can find chemistry with his teammates,” Woodson said. “It might not come in practice. It might have to come in games, based on our schedule.”

REBOUNDS

Carmelo Anthony (hyperextended left knee) did not practice Sunday but did spend time shooting. The Knicks are listing him as day to day. ... Tyson Chandler (sprained right ankle) did not practice but was expected to play against the Trail Blazers. “I’m sure I’ll have Tyson for that game,” Mike Woodson said. ... Rasheed Wallace (stress fracture in his left foot) did not practice and was listed as day to day. Woodson said he was not sure if Wallace would practice Monday. ... Chris Copeland (bruised right hand) practiced, and iman Shumpert (left knee) did conditioning work. “He had a lot of pop in his step, but he couldn’t do any contact work yet,” Woodson said of Shumpert, who had surgery in May.