Mike Woodson’s big hurdle: Fitting Amare Stoudemire back in

If your biggest problem is how to fit a six-time All-Star who gives you 18 and 8 a night back into the lineup, you should be feeling pretty good about yourself.

But this is the New York Knicks, a team with a rabid fan base and a small margin for error, so even something like brining back Amare Stoudemire to the lineup is seen as a challenge. And potential disaster.

The Knicks are on a hot streak entering the playoffs — including a win over the Celtics Tuesday — and in the next few days they will get Stoudemire back. Likely by Friday. So far, Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony — two guys who like the offense to work through them at times and who like some of the same spots on the floor — have not blended well. John Schuhmann has the numbers at NBA.com, but since last year’s trade the Knicks have been four points per 100 possessions better when Anthony is on the floor without Stoudemire than they have been together. And the defense has been better with just ‘Melo, too.

With coach Mike Woodson admitting that ‘Melo has found a comfort level in the offense right now, and with the Knicks winning, how do you fit Stoudemire in and get him touches without throwing off the rhythm that has been built? Yes, the Knicks went 6-1 with Stoudemire and Melo together when Woodson took over, but this team now is different.

The obvious answer is to keep one of them on the floor at all times and try to stagger their minutes — they are going to have to play together at some points, particularly crunch time, but you can have one on without the other for long stretches.

Which has led CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger and others to suggest bringing Stoudemire off the bench.

He should take a page from the book of Doc Rivers, who had the clout and cojones to leave Avery Bradley in the starting lineup over Ray Allen once the aforementioned future Hall of Famer returned from an ankle injury. How did Rivers do it?

“He just sat me down and said, ‘You’re coming off the bench,’” Allen said.

Woodson has said Stoudemire “absolutely” is starting. As Berger notes, it’s easy for Rivers — with a multi-year deal and the backing of management — to tell a star to come off the bench, it’s tougher for the interim Woodson. At the end of the season he will be the Knicks fallback as coach, owner James Dolan will be reaching for the stars first.

If the Knicks had even a few weeks to work out the kinks with their star combo, this might not be as big a deal. But they are going to have three games or so, then they are going to likely get the Miami Heat in a best of seven series. The only way the Knicks stand a chance is if they are firing on all cylinders and are knocking down shots like they did against Boston.

Mike Woodson, welcome to coaching the Knicks. Never a dull moment, even when your All-Star returns.