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Arron Afflalo's hamstring trouble was one of the few dark clouds hovering over what proved to be a fairly pleasant preseason. New York's medical staff performed some more tests on the shooting guard, who won't participate in the team's open Sunday practice:
An MRI of Arron Afflalo’s left hamstring revealed a mild strain. He will not practice today and is listed as day-to-day.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 25, 2015
Mild hamstring sprain? God only knows how long that will take to clear up. If Afflalo isn't ready for Wednesday's opener -- a scenario that grows more likely by the hour -- a contender for his starting spot may have emerged. Is it Sasha Vujacic? You bet your ass it is!
For what it's worth, Sasha Vujacic looks to be part of the starting five again today, with Afflalo sitting out. Running first-team drills
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 25, 2015
Fretting over who starts is often a waste of time -- remember when the 2012-13 club used to start James "Flight" White at shooting guard? Fisher probably (hopefully) won't play Vujacic big minutes, and there's no chance in hell he's playing over Langston Galloway in close-and-late situations. The real tragedy of Afflalo's injury is how it hurts the Knicks' depth at their weakest position.
Speaking of depth:
Knicks' second-stringers beat the starters 31-16 in a scrimmage. Galloway and Grant looked great.
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 25, 2015
In other news, Lou Amundson also sat out Sunday's practice:
Lou Amundson did not practice today due to a sore lower back.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 25, 2015
Robin Lopez, who has been battling the ol' "undisclosed injury," did practice, which is always a good sign. You need to start healthenin' up, Knicks!
Update:
It certainly looks like Afflalo won't be available for a while.
Afflalo says he might be best off giving his hamstring another two weeks or so to heal. Would mean he's out for the first week of the season
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) October 25, 2015