Amar'e Stoudemire Injury: 7 Knicks Who Must Step Up in PF's Absence

The New York Knicks were dealt a severe blow on Monday when they found out Amar'e Stoudemire's back injury would force him to miss significant time.

That news got somewhat better today when they learned that Stoudemire would forgo surgery on his back back and could be back in uniform in approximately two to four weeks.

While that could be great news for the Knicks if the rest and rehab brings back a healthy Stoudemire for the playoffs, it's extremely bad news to have to go at it without him in the short-term. That means several guys are going to have to step up and perform in Stoudemire's absence.

That job won't fall squarely on one man's shoulders, but instead it will take a group effort to get by without him. Here's a look at a few Knicks that must step up their game in Stoudemire's absence.

Carmelo Anthony

Stoudemire's 17.6 points per game are going to have to come from somewhere, as are the 14.1 shots he gets per game. It's going to fall on Anthony to replace some of that scoring. Since Mike Woodson took over as interim head coach, Anthony has been getting good looks at the basket, but his shot isn't falling consistently.

The Knicks still need to focus on ball movement, but Anthony's going to have to up his scoring in the process. He can start by getting to the free-throw line more often.

Landry Fields

Fields can also help fill the void by knocking down some shots but his main value will come on the defensive end. He may spend more time at the 3 during the next few weeks and will have some bigger players to cover.

J.R. Smith

Smith has to hit shots consistently and not force as much. He will see time at the 2 and the 3 when Anthony slides to the 4, but he's got to do the job consistently at both ends of the floor. Smith hasn't been bad as a Knick, but he has the talent to be much better and will be given the chance.

Jared Jeffries

Jeffries is still out another week, but when he returns, he can help out on the defensive end. Tyson Chandler is going to be hung out to dry a lot, and getting a healthy Jeffries back in the lineup will be a huge plus. If he can contribute anything on the offensive end of the floor it will be a huge help.

Josh Harrleson

Harrleson hasn't looked good since returning from his broken wrist, but he's a guy that will see some time at the 4 and the 5 for now. When he gets open looks he's got to knock shots down. Defensively he can't be a liability and is going to have to step up and do the job.

Steve Novak

Woodson's going to continue to give Novak minutes and he can keep earning them by knocking down his smooth jumper. But Novak can help fill the void created by Stoudemire's injury by stepping it up a bit at the defensive end of the floor.

Novak's not the greatest defensive player in the world and that's not what he gets paid to do, but teams are going to attack him when he's on the floor. He's going to have to answer the bell.

Tyson Chandler

Chandler's probably been the Knicks' best player all season long and it's not really fair to ask him to do more, especially since he's been banged up as well. But he's going to have to.

The biggest thing he can do is stay on the floor and not be in foul trouble so much. The Knicks are a much different team when he's on the floor and right now that's where they need him the most.