If Knicks’ fans were hoping their oft-injured power forward would finally be healthy for a full season, they now know he won’t even make it to the season opener this year.
Amar’e Stoudemire has a ruptured popliteal cyst in the back of his left knee, the team announced Sunday. He will miss two to three weeks.
A popliteal cyst, also called a Baker’s cyst, is essentially a build-up of fluid in the back of the joint. Stoudemire was with the team in Syracuse, where they will play the Sixers Monday night, but traveled back to New York City to receive an MRI, which discovered the problem.
It’s not considered serious, though Stoudemire has had a history of knee injuries. The left knee is the same one he had microfracture surgery on in October 2005 when he was still with Phoenix.
Stoudemire missed 13 games at the end of last season with a lower back injury, but returned for the final four games of the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, he missed Game 3 against Miami after punching a glass fire extinguisher in frustration after a loss in Game 2. In all, he missed 19 games last year.
Stoudemire will miss the season opener against the Nets on Nov. 1 as well as conference matchups against the Heat and Sixers.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter
