Amar’e Stoudemire Out For Season With Knee Injury

Amar’e Stoudemire, the New York Knicks forward/center, will miss the rest of the NBA regular season because of knee surgery.

The upcoming knee debridement procedure means that the Knicks star will be out of action for approximately six weeks. He might be able to return sometime in the first or second round of the NBA playoffs.

Stoudemire had an MRI on his right knee today, which evidently revealed the necessity of having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to remove dead or damaged tissue. Stoudemire’s knee soreness prevented him from participating in the team’s shootaround today, prompting the MRI. He missed the first couple of months of the 2012-2013 season as a result of off-season surgery on his left knee.

Stoudemire averaged 14.2 points on 57.7 percent shooting this season for the Knicks who are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division and the third seed in the Eastern Division. He also averaged 5 rebounds a game. The New York Knicks are facing the Utah Jazz tonight at Madison Square Garden and then leave on a five-game road trip. The regular season ends on April 17.

Knicks Head Coach Mike Woodson had this to say about losing Amar’e Stoudemire for at least six weeks: “I feel for Amar’e because he’s put a lot of work in this summer to get back out on the court and what he went through at the beginning of camp and now he’s gotta go back in again.” Woodson added, however, that the team must move forward despite losing one its key players: “It’s a major loss to what we’re trying to do, but we’re going to have to wait on him and continue our climb. We can’t sit and sulk and feel upset about it. Guys have gotta step up play.”

The Knicks other star, Carmelo Anthony, has missed three games with knee problems of his own, and the timetable for his return to action is unclear.

Forward Amar’e Stoudemire is scheduled to have a right knee debridement this coming week. He is expected to miss approximately six weeks.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 9, 2013

[Image credit: Bryan Horowitz]