DENVER — Lance Thomas’ performance has dipped along with the Knicks’ record, coinciding with spraining his left knee in late January.

Thomas’ knee never fully recovered and now his season may be over. The imminent free agent had a major mishap during pregame warm-ups before Tuesday’s game at Pepsi Center against the Nuggets, reinjuring the knee and needing to be helped off the court and into the locker room.

Thomas planted his leg awkwardly as he waited for a pass, then immediately stopped and started limping off. An MRI exam is likely to take place Wednesday when it could be determined the extent of the damage to his ACL. A sprain, technically, is a partial tear.

Thomas’ all-around hustle and 3-point shooting was one of the keys to the Knicks’ 22-22 start, but the Brooklyn native’s sprained knee and subsequent concussion lessened his impact. He missed five games because of those ailments.

In January, head coaches were talking about Thomas as a candidate for Most Improved Player with the possibility of him earning a lucrative contract this summer after making the $1.5 million this season. Thomas still is averaging 8.2 points and shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The Knicks could soon replace Thomas with second-year man Cleanthony Early, who participated in a Westchester Knicks practice for the first time Tuesday and could play a D-League game as soon as Wednesday.

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ChuckBuck wrote:Wonder if this affects his free agency status with the Knicks or other teams...

Somehow I think it's going to come down to either Lance or DWill, wonder who Phil leans towards.

phil has his eye on bringing back sammy dammy