When the rest of the Knicks called it a day after a long and painful practice today, Marcus Camby hobbled onto the floor with a sneaker on his right foot and a walking boot on his left. He grabbed a basketball and tossed up a set shot, hardly moving in a way that would indicate he was close to returning to action.

Camby will meet with doctors Monday afternoon to see if, by keeping his foot in the boot for a week, the plantar fasciitis has healed enough for him to venture onto the floor wearing two sneakers. While Camby declared today that he would be back to practice this week no matter what the doctors find, the Knicks have seen this type of injury linger with other players and know there is no certainty.

"I just feel better," Camby said. "I think that's probably because I'm anxious to get back out there.