Amar’e Stoudemire Gets Surprise Starting Nod

One announcement was made early and one came at the last minute, but the Knicks’ opening-night lineup was a case of “surprise, surprise.”

Coach Derek Fisher revealed before the game that Amar’e Stoudemire would be in the starting five at power forward Wednesday night against the Bulls, and less than an hour before tipoff, the Knicks also announced that veteran point guard Jose Calderon would be a late scratch with the sore calf that kept him out of the final two preseason games.

Stoudemire had expressed uncertainty in recent days over his role despite proclaiming his surgically repaired knees were fully healthy throughout training camp.

via Peter Botte of the New York Daily News