After taking a nasty spill in yesterday’s preseason game against the Nets, Knicks defensive backbone Tyson Chandler is said to be day-to-day with what is described as a “bone bruise” on his knee.
While not ideal, Knicks fans are likely relieved that it isn’t anything more serious or structurally damaged, as from the original real-time TV angle it almost looked like it could’ve been the dreaded ACL injury. In fact, it was just a case of banging knees with Nets forward Gerald Wallace. While undoubtedly still extremely painful (he left the arena on crutches after the game), the day-to-day designation indicates that he should soon be back in action after some rest.
The Knicks frontcourt has been decimated by injuries lately, with both Chandler and power forward Amar’e Stoudemire out with knee injuries. The Knicks did make a point of adding depth up front in the offseason with the signings of Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace. However, those three players are at an average age of almost 39 years, and Wallace is still trying to get back up to NBA speed having come out of retirement this year. The Knicks don’t feature many lock-down defensive players and rely on Chandler’s sublime help defense to remain competitive, so Knicks fans will be hoping for a speedy recovery by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
