NEW YORK -- New York Knicks rookie Channing Frye will miss
the rest of the season because of a sprained left knee ligament.
An MRI exam in New York on Wednesday confirmed the injury. Frye
will be on crutches for the next three weeks, but surgery will not
be needed. The Knicks expect Frye to be able to return in time for
summer league play in July.
Coach Larry Brown expressed frustration after Orlando beat the
Knicks 111-87 in their first game without the rookie standout.
"I looked out there and it seemed like a lot of guys just
didn't care," he said.
"It's tough now, especially with Channing out. ... There
weren't a lot of plusses out there."
Frye was injured early in the fourth quarter of the Knicks'
114-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Toronto's
Andre Barrett was racing upcourt with the ball with a little more
than 9½ minutes left when Knicks guard Nate Robinson, chasing him
from behind, appeared to try to swipe the ball away. Barrett lost
his balance and fell into Frye's left leg.
The eighth pick in last year's draft, Frye has been one of the
top rookies in the NBA this season. He is third among first-year
players with 12.3 points per game, and also ranks in the top five
in field goal percentage (47.7 percent) and rebounds (5.8).