KNICK NOTES
Jeff Van Gundy said yesterday what everyone around the team already knew but wouldn’t put on the record. Patrick Ewing will miss the start of the regular season as he continues to rehabilitate from Achilles tendinitis.
But that’s the tip of the iceberg. People close to the team believe Ewing is going to miss at least the first two months of the season, with Jan. 1 as a viable target date.
Ewing has said he won’t return until he’s 100 percent, unlike in years past.
“A few weeks back he mentioned he wouldn’t be able to play in the preseason,” Van Gundy said. “Obviously we’re at the 14th [of October] and he realizes he’s not going to be ready for the start of the season.”
After 11 days of training camp, Ewing still is still unable to run on the treadmill. “He knows his body well,” Van Gundy said. “He’s had a lot of years in the practice of pain. He’ll let me know when he’s getting close.”
Starting the season without Patrick has been a reality Van Gundy has faced for a couple of months. “Last two years when Patrick’s been out, we’ve been exactly .500,” Van Gundy said. “He’s not going to be here to start the season and we’re going to have to be more than a .500 team to avoid that 21-21 start.”
Knicks signed yesterday 6-5 swingman Jimmy Oliver, who played in the Italian league last season before signing a 10-day contract with Phoenix. Oliver has played for five NBA teams over the last eight years
John Wallace (bruised knee) returned to practice after his MRI came up negative. Wallace should be ready for his Syracuse homecoming tomorrow when the Knicks play the Cavs at the Carrier Dome.
Wallace, who played for Syracuse from 1992-96, started Tuesday’s exhibition game before injuring his knee in the second quarter. “He’s not going to play if he doesn’t guard better and he knows that,” Van Gundy said.