BOSTON – In his strongest statement yet that his season and career is not over, Knicks shooting guard Allan Houston vowed yesterday he will be at full strength before the season’s out.
Houston was asked if he would mull retirement over the summer if he failed to make a healthy return this season. Last weekend, owner James Dolan claimed Houston had “concerns” about his ability to beat arthritis in his knees.
But Houston never sounded surer than yesterday, still clinging to the notion he came back too early in December, before he had regained full strength in his left knee.
“There’s no doubt in my mind I’m going to be back 100 percent,” Houston told The Post before the Knicks faced the Celtics at FleetCenter. “If I’m 100 percent, why would I stop playing? There’s no doubt in my mind. It could be March. It could be April. But I’d be shocked if I wasn’t 100 percent by the end of the season.”
Houston has played just 20 games this season and last night missed his 12th straight since shutting it down. He’ll be out until after the All-Star break, as his mission is to get his left knee stronger.
This isn’t about pain anymore. Houston was so desperate to play in December, he came back, in his eyes, before the knee was at full capacity. That hampered his ability to withstand contact on the offensive end and as a result he struggled to get open, fighting through picks or incidental contact running plays.
Kings forward Chris Webber last week commented on Houston’s situation, because they both underwent microfracture surgery in the summer of 2003. Houston returned for the start of last season while Webber sat out 50 games rehabbing. Now Webber is back, better than ever.
“When he came back so early, I took the criticism,” Webber said last week. “I didn’t know how he could do it that fast. Now it’s really telling what’s going on.”
Indeed, Houston wishes he did not to make opening day his goal last season and feels that’s where all this mess started.
“I’m happy for Chris and Grant Hill [chronic ankle surgeries] because they did it. And they both believed. You’ve got to have faith it will happen. Everybody’s body is different. I can’t compare one surgery to the other. People have different systems, different weight, different mechanics.”
The Knicks are headed out of the playoff race, partly due to injuries and ineffective play from the shooting a guard and swingman positions. Jamal Crawford has been injury-prone this season as well and was a game-time decision last night after missing two straight games.
But Houston knows the karma of the club could have changed if he returned healthy in December, and not a shell of his former All-Star self.
“It’s definitely strange going through this,” Houston said. “Me not being out there, I feel helpless. I feel like you can only say so much in the huddle, say so much to the players.
Would the team still be in first place if Houston’s comeback were seamless? Quite possibly. Stephon Marbury needs a wing man in the worst way and hasn’t had a reliable one this season.
“I do think about that a lot – if I was healthy,” Houston said. “At the same time, who’s to say that would be the case? I know I’d be able help us. I think about it all the time – if. That’s what kills me sitting over there. If I was healthy, I know I can help us.”
With Jamal Crawford expected to return last night from a sprained ankle and Tim Thomas playing with a sprained finger on his left hand, the Knicks have had to start rookie Trevor Ariza and give too much playing time to washed- up veteran Penny Hardaway and underwhelming Jamison Brewer at shooting guard.
“Nobody put pressure on me to play,” Houston said. “Sometimes your emotions and your mind is powerful. That’s where I was. I’d been out a long time. I was ready to get out there. I thought it was good enough. As I look back, no, it wasn’t good enough.”