Amar’e Stoudemire says the Atlantic Division is “still open”
The Atlantic Division is being dominated by the Toronto Raptors so far this season with the Nets, Celtics, Sixers, and the New York Knicks all struggling to manufacture some competition. The Knicks are 4-17 to start the season, the worst start in franchise history after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the buzzer on Friday, but Amar’e Stoudemire feels that their division is still in their reach.
Via Ian Begley of ESPN New York:
“With Toronto and [DeMar] DeRozan being hurt now, you never know how that team is going to end up. Brooklyn’s not playing great. The division is still open,” Stoudemire said after the Knicks’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night. “We’ve just got to turn this thing around.”
DeRozan is out indefinitely with a torn tendon in his left groin, and the Raptors have won two of four since the shooting guard went down.
The Knicks are 11.5 games behind first-place Toronto entering play Saturday. They’ve also lost seven straight and 16 of their past 18.
The Knicks are five and a half games out from the final spot in the conference, and that’s more so due to a handful of teams in the conference not looking to hot in the young season. Stoudemire makes a decent point about Toronto losing DeRozan, but chasing Toronto is still the least of their worries.
A day at a time a step at a time is the only way to live for the New York Knicks right now.
