He might not be playing basketball for the Knicks for a while, of course, but via Alan Hahn, he’s been cleared for, and has begun, basketball activities. Meanwhile, Amar’e Stoudemire is planning to have his back re-examined this week, and expects to be cleared to resume basketball activities soon, too. (He’s also set to head to China next Wednesday for a Nike-sponsored tour.) Worth noting: These “clearances” aren’t coming from the Knicks medical staff, since they can’t treat players during the lockout. Also: They can work on left-handed layup drills (or whatever exactly one does when taking part in “basketball activities”) all they want, but their progress doesn’t mean quite as much if there are no NBA games to participate in this fall. But all this probably does mean a lot to anyone involved with the organization of Amar’e’s big unofficial training camp that surely the entire team will be attending. They need an accurate headcount for breakfast and lunch, after all. Not for dinner, though. As we all know, players are on their own for dinner. [Newsday and Newsday, via Posting and Toasting]
For What It’s Worth, Chauncey Billups Is Playing Basketball Again
Chauncey Billups.