Alan Hahn's post on New York Knicks | Latest updates on Sulia

How close is Ronnie Brewer to being cleared for practice? We should know soon, according to Mike Woodson. More:

Brewer will be evaluated early next week to determine his readiness to join the Knicks in practice. He missed the start of training camp after he underwent minor knee surgery in early September to repair cartilage in his left knee. Brewer's targeted return date was within the last two weeks of October, which should give him enough time to get acclimated -- and perhaps even get into a preseason game or two -- before the regular season opener on Nov. 1 in Brooklyn. Brewer, 27, who signed a one-year, veterans minimum deal to join the Knicks, is an important player in Woodson's rotation because he is expected to fill the starting role at shooting guard and provide strong perimeter defense and offensive intangibles, while allowing J.R. Smith to come off the bench. So far, Woodson used roster hopeful Mychel Thompson as the starting shooting guard against the Wizards and it's possible we will see James White start there tonight against the Celtics, just to keep Smith in his Sixth Man role. Obviously the sooner the Knicks can get Brewer on the court working with the starters the better.