KNICK NOTES
CHICAGO – Tim Thomas hobbled about the locker room like a player who’s not ready to get back on the court anytime soon.
Thomas strained his right groin when he drove to the basket for a layup with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
He finished the period but didn’t come back. Now he could be looking at a long layoff. Keith Van Horn strained his groin in preseason and missed 10 days.
“Right now I’m in so much pain and discomfort just walking around,” Thomas said. “I have to take my time with it, I guess.”
Thomas will meet with doctors today and may take an MRI. With Thomas and Allan Houston ailing, the Knicks are a mess.
“It was the first time I went to the basket,” said Thomas, who scored a team-leading eight points in the first quarter. “It was painful. I’m very concerned about it. I could’ve easily came out as soon as it happened. I kept trying to see if it would loosen up. I didn’t know what it was because I never pulled anything.”
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In his Chicago hotel room yesterday, Houston felt limber enough to play last night. But when he got to United Center, those aspirations died after a hard workout on the court. Houston was forced to sit out his second straight game and 21st of the season. He’s still battling pain in his left quadriceps, above the same knee that underwent arthroscopic surgery over the summer.
Houston is not thinking about shutting it down until the playoffs like Jason Kidd, who’s suffering from a bruised bone in his knee. In fact, Houston believes he could return tomorrow vs. Atlanta. “It’s when you try to act – like, I’m coming off a pick, it’s like sharp pain,” Houston said. “I couldn’t do it. I felt much better [yesterday]. I couldn’t even run [Friday]. I thought it would be good enough to go. It’s different when you mess around in your hotel room, then you get out there.”
Houston understands what Kidd is going through. “He probably does need the rest. A lot of times where we are in our career, when you’re 20, 23 years old, things aren’t as painful and you recover.”
On Wednesday, Stephon Marbury‘s cousin, Sebastian Telfair, will play here at United Center in the EA Sports Roundball Classic . . . Dikembe Mutombo (abdominal surgery) said he’s been cleared to do pool work, but doesn’t expect to be at practice until Wednesday or Thursday.
