Damon Stoudamire says his right knee is fine and he's ready to step back into the Trail Blazers' lineup as the starting point guard.
But when will coach Maurice Cheeks let him do it? It won't be today against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, because Cheeks said after Monday's practice he plans to start Scottie Pippen at point guard for the fifth consecutive game.
"I like the way we're playing," Cheeks said. "I don't want to tamper with it."
The Blazers have won three of four games with Pippen starting at point guard. Pippen is best known, of course, as a forward, but he always has been capable of bringing the ball up the court and getting a team into its offense.
But a regular starting job at the point would represent a significant change for Pippen in the twilight of his career.
When Stoudamire didn't start in the opening game of the Blazers' five-game trip Saturday in Indianapolis, he said it wasn't a big deal. At the time, he was coming back after missing two home games and three days of practice because of a knee injury, and he said the plan was to ease his way back into the lineup.
"I'm not going to say I'm OK with it, but I'm going to see what happens," Stoudamire said of his limited playing time (16 minutes) Sunday. "That's kind of all I can do right now is wait and see what happens. I'm always going to want to play. That hasn't changed."