Amar'e Stoudemire was given a recovery day Tuesday following his two recovery games.
Knicks fans probably would like a recovery season. But there is a method to the inactivity for Stoudemire.
The Knicks are hopeful his mini-vacation will translate into the same kind of production the 32-year-old forward has given them thus far. Stoudemire has been a rare bright spot through the dreadful first 30 games.
"My body was starting to feel like it needed some rest," he said, explaining the decision to sit out the team's losses to the Raptors and Suns. "So I was able to take advantage of those two games, and now we've got a few days of practice that we can kind of somewhat sharpen up on and be ready for the Christmas game."
Stoudemire, who has appeared in 27 of 30 games after failing to play in more than 65 contests the past three seasons, is averaging 13.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game. He didn't practice on Tuesday, but he sounded hopeful of returning on Thursday, though coach Derek Fisher wouldn't commit to him playing against the Wizards.
"The season is a grind, and Amar'e has been asked to do a lot this first quarter of the season with the injuries and the guys out," Fisher said. "We had a big uptick in minutes, and we had to kind of calibrate that and get back to a place where we want to make sure Amar'e can play every night. Playing 30-plus, almost 40 minutes, some nights is just not the best thing, I think. We're just trying to be smart, not because of anything in particular, but doing right by him."
If the Knicks are going to make anything of this season, they will need to get Stoudemire fresh. The recent time off should only help, he said, though he admitted it was difficult to sit on the bench as the losing continued.
"It's just a matter of staying strong with your decision," Stoudemire said. "It's not easy with what we have as far as games winning, so it's tough to sit out. But for the longevity of the career and the season, we got to be smart about it.
"I've been able to play at a high level. So I feel good about that. But I'm just getting started. Progress will continue to get better. I'm still getting stronger and stronger so I feel like there's more to come the second half of the year."
Andrea Bargnani (calf strain) and Cleanthony Early (knee) didn't practice and are long shots to play Christmas Day.
Bargnani has yet to play in a game this season, battling an assortment of injuries. Early, the team's second-round pick, underwent knee surgery on Nov. 18 and is inching closer to returning.
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