Amar'e Stoudemire participated in his first full practice since mid-October, but isn't sure if he will return on Jan. 1.

Stoudemire said he's not even 80 percent and would like to feel close to 100 percent before he plays.

"It would be great if I could go on Jan. 1," he said. "I can't determine how I feel tomorrow or the following day. If the next two days go well and I continue to improve, then that will be a great day to start playing."

The Knicks' injury woes have caused Stoudemire to want to return earlier.

Amar'e Stoudemire will come off the bench when he returns from a left knee injury, sources said.

Stoudemire may start initially because of injuries to Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton, but Mike Woodson is seriously considering playing Stoudemire in a reserve role for the rest of the season.

"It's a fluid situation (because of injuries)," one source said. "But they want him to come off the bench to start."

Stoudemire underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Nov. 1.

Carmelo Anthony will miss his second straight game Friday night against the Sacramento Kings with a hyperextended left knee.

Anthony injured his knee Tuesday in the Knicks’ 100-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It was bothering me the whole game,” Anthony said of his knee. “I thought it was worse. But then once I went out there and starting playing again, I think the adrenaline got me through it. Then after the game is when I thought it was a lot worse.”

Anthony hopes to return Jan. 1 against Portland.

“In the N.B.A. when you miss one day it feels like it’s been a week,” Anthony said. “The injury occurred Tuesday. It’s only been a couple of days. I really want my knee to settle down. I don’t think it’s frustrating because you can’t control these types of things. It’s just a matter of me coming back where I left off.”

Raymond Felton was told on Thursday that surgery on his fractured left pinke would be unnecessary and that the finger would be stabilized by a splint. Felton will miss between four and six weeks.

Felton called his injury “a freak accident.”

“Key guys get banged up here and there, and we have enough guys on our team that guys just have to step up,” said Mike Woodson.

Woodson plans to increase Pablo Prigioni’s minutes with Felton unavailable.

Raymond Felton has a fracture in his right pinkie finger.

Felton's status will be reevaluated when the Knicks return to New York.

Felton told the New York Times that he may be out four to six weeks following possible surgery.

Marcus Camby returned on Tuesday for the first time in 12 games after dealing with plantar fasciitis.

“It felt good to be out there with the guys. I just have to build from today,” Camby said. “The game doesn’t change. It’s a whole lot more faster when you haven’t been out there as long as I haven’t been out there.”

Amar’e Stoudemire may make his return from October knee surgery during the first week of January.

“It’s possible — it would be awesome if I am able to,” said Stoudemire.

Stoudemire had previously hoped to return in time for Christmas.

“I feel pretty good. I am still improving and still getting better,” he said. “I just want to make sure I am 100%. So that’s the main goal right now to continue to get to that point. I am not quite there yet, but I am making progress.”

Raymond Felton is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Suns after spraining his right pinkie.

“I ain’t the same with it,” Felton said of the injury. “We’ll see what happens.”

Felton shot 1-for-10 after the injury.

“Right now it hurts like hell,” Felton said. “Knowing me, I won’t sit out the game for any reason, (But) if it bothers me the way it did in the fourth quarter where I couldn’t shoot the ball like I wanted to — or pass the ball — I am not going to play on it.”

James White is being nominated for entry by the NBPA for the Slam Dunk contest.

White was approached by union officials last week.

The union has more influence in the Saturday night skill competitions in the new format in which the conferences compete against each other.

A team captain will be chosen for the East and West and make the final call on participants

Raymond Felton is determined to help Amar'e Stoudemire fit with what the Knicks have established through their first 26 games.

"We're going to figure it out," Felton said. "I know everybody trying to put this big knock that these guys can't play together, Melo and Amar'e can't play together. That's me, Jason, Pablo [Prigioni] -- that's our job to make sure that it does happen. He's got a great deal of talent. I know what he can do. What he can do is only going to help us."

Like Felton, Kidd is motivated to prove the critics wrong.

"He's part of this team," Kidd said. "He's going to help us be successful. That's the only way I look at it and I think that's the way the team looks at it.

"He has the ability to get us over the hump. For us as teammates, our job is to get him in the right spots so he is successful."