When Chauncey Billups caught a Dwight Howard knee in the thigh last night (it should be illegal to have patellas that high off the ground), it was immediately evident that something was wrong. You can see the play at around the 2:25 mark of this video. That bone-on-meat collision contused Chauncey's left quadricep something fierce, and Frank Isola of the Daily News reports that it'll keep him sidelined against the Hornets and Cavaliers:
Chauncey Billups, the Knicks top player since Melo trade, expected to miss 2 games with left thigh bruise, a team official tells Daily News
A two-game absence would mean a return on Sunday for Chauncey. As Walt Frazier kept repeating last night, the thigh bruise is an injury that tends to "leen-ger", so even upon returning, Billups might be a little gimpy. When Raymond Felton was in town, we got accustomed to a point guard who doesn't stop for injuries, but we also saw how nagging soreness can throw a fellow off his game.
In the meantime, it'll be interesting to see who gets the point guard minutes in Chauncey's stead. With Chris Paul and Ramon Sessions (or maybe Baron Davis) on the schedule, Toney Douglas will most definitely get the start. Anthony Carter's proven his worth as a defender/passer, though, and I'd expect to him to see the biggest boost in minutes over the next two. That includes plenty of spin alongside Douglas, allowing TD to DWTDD as the off guard.
This is a big, loss, though, and it'll necessitate some rapid harmonization between Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony if the Knicks hope to play anything even resembling a competent offense for the rest of the week.