But he’s also hoping Jorts returns soon, too.

“I had no idea I’d be sitting here saying I can’t wait till Josh Harrellson gets back,” D’Antoni said Friday night at MSG before the Knicks host Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

The 6-foot-10 Harrellson remains out approximately another three weeks after fracturing his right wrist Jan. 21 against the Nuggets.

A pleasant surprise with his work ethic, hustle and 3-point shooting ability, he is averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds on the season.

D’Antoni reiterated that Stoudemire would return to practice Monday after mourning the death of his brother, Hazell, in a car accident last Monday.

Anthony is “getting closer” to returning from a right groin injury sustained this past Monday against the Jazz, D’Antoni said. He was originally diagnosed as being out 1-2 weeks.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

GREENBURGH, N.Y.

And Steve Novak will be the first to give Linsanity its just due.

“Everyone’s been able to see how valuable [he is], the way he gets in the paint on offense and finds guys, how valuable that is,” Novak, whose team meets Kobe Bryant and the Lakers tonight at Madison Square Garden, said earlier this week at the Knicks training facility.

Novak, perhaps more than any other Knick, has benefitted from Lin’s passing.

The former Marquette standout has scored 19 points in each of his last two games — wins over Utah and at Washington — and is 10-for-17 from beyond the arc in those games. Of Lin’s 18 assists in the last two games, 10 have gone to Novak.

“I think you’re really starting to see our offense come together when we have that kind of penetration and that kind of finding guys,” Novak said in crediting Lin, the second-year sensation from Harvard.

“And it’s contagious because other guys know, ‘I’m going to get the ball from him or I’m going to make the next pass because the next time down he’s going to find me again.”

The Knicks picked up the 6-foot-10 Novak — a 41.7 percent career 3-point shooter — in late December after he was released by the San Antonio Spurs

But he never scored more than nine points in a game for the Knicks until this month, when both Amar’e Stoudemire (brother’s death) and Carmelo Anthony (groin) have been absent from the lineup. Both of those players will miss at least two more games.

“At this point, I think we all know, you’re in the NBA for a reason,” Novak, 27, said of his back-to-back 19-point games. “Everybody can play. Anybody can have a huge game.”

Novak played four years at Marquette for former coach Tom Crean and was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets.

Even after bouncing around the NBA and the D-League, Novak remains close to his Marquette roots and current coach Buzz Williams.

“I work out there all summer,” he said. “I live five minutes from Marquette and play five-on-five with those guys and stay in touch. It’s definitely still my family.”

During those summer workouts, Novak sometimes goes up against the famous Marquette product of all time, Dwyane Wade, as well as fellow NBA players Jimmy Butler, Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward. 

“Whenever you go to a school and you have those bonds with your teammates, it’s special,” he said. “But then to carry it over to another league it’s pretty fun.

“And obviously, Dwyane has kind of paved the way for everybody and he’s done a great job and made a great name for Marquette. And there’s been quite a few guys after.”

One of them is Novak, who appears to have been swallowed up by Linsanity.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

In case you missed it, here’s Jeremy Lin’s crossover of John Wall and subsequent dunk. Lin finished with 23 points and a career-high 10 assists in the Knicks’ 107-93 rout in Washington.

The Knicks are now 3-0 since Linsanity began Saturday night against the Nets. Lin has scored 20+ points in three straight games.

“If you love sports you have to love what Jeremy Lin is doing,” Steve Nash Tweeted. “Getting an opportunity and exploding!!”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Amar’e Stoudemire

Stoudemire remains in Florida grieving the loss of his older brother, Hazell, who was killed this past Monday in a car crash.

Stoudemire will miss Friday’s home game against the Lakers and Saturday’s game in Minnesota, but would be available for Tuesday’s tilt at Toronto.

Carmelo Anthony remains out 1-2 weeks with a right groin strain.

He had been bothered by ankle, thumb and wrist injures as well.

Anthony was chosen as a starter for the Feb. 26 All-Star Game in Orlando, but it remains possible he would sit out the game because of the injuries.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

“I was shocked [Shumpert] didn’t make it,’’ D’Antoni told reporters before the Knicks’ 107-93 victory over the Wizards. “Not taking anything away from other guys.”

According to the New York Post, D’Antoni was informed that assistant coaches did the voting.

“Could be a reason why they’re assistants,” D’Antoni said. “Because he plays as well as anybody. Iman deserved to be on it. It’s too bad.”

Fields is averaging 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds

Shumpert, out of Georgia Tech, is averaging 9.9 points and 3.7 boards.

Also chosen in the game were former UConn star Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats, who played at Rice High School, and former Duke standout Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick star who was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Tristan Thompson, Irving’s teammate and a former St. Benedict’s Prep standout, was also chosen.

Below is the roster for the 2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge:

2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Player Pool

                                                        Prior to NBA/
Player        Team        Pos.        Ht.                Wt.        Home Country        Exp
MarShon Brooks        New Jersey        G-F        6-5                200        Providence/USA        R
DeMarcus Cousins        Sacramento        C        6-11        270        Kentucky/USA        1
Landry Fields        New York        G        6-7                210        Stanford/USA        1
Paul George        Indiana        G-F        6-8                215        Fresno State/USA        1
Blake Griffin        L.A. Clippers        F        6-10        251        Oklahoma/USA        1
Gordon Hayward        Utah        F        6-8                210        Butler/USA        1
Kyrie Irving        Cleveland        G        6-3                191        Duke/USA        R
Brandon Knight        Detroit        G        6-3                189        Kentucky/USA        R
Kawhi Leonard        San Antonio        G-F        6-7                225        San Diego State/USA        R
Greg Monroe        Detroit        C        6-11        250        Georgetown/USA        1
Markieff Morris        Phoenix        F        6-10        245        Kansas/USA        R
Ricky Rubio        Minnesota        G        6-4                180        FC Barcelona/Spain        R
Tiago Splitter        San Antonio        F-C        6-11        240        Saski Baskonia/Brazil        1
Tristan Thompson        Cleveland        F        6-9                227        Texas/USA        R
Evan Turner        Philadelphia        G-F        6-7                205        Ohio State/USA        1
John Wall        Washington        G        6-4                195        Kentucky/USA        1
Kemba Walker        Charlotte        G        6-1                172        Connecticut/USA        R
Derrick Williams        Minnesota        F        6-8                241        Arizona State/USA        R

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, whom the Knicks amnestied in order to sign center Tyson Chandler, is done for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon.

And Danilo Gallinari, who was dealt last February in the Carmelo Anthony trade, is out a month with a badly sprained left ankle.

Billups injury occurred during the Clippers’ 107-102 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

An MRI on Tuesday confirmed the injury, but the 35-year-old Billups said he doesn’t plan on retiring.

“No, sir. There is no way I’m going to crawl out of the league,” Billups said. “I’m going to be back. Trust me.”

Said teammate Chris Paul: “He’s the best guard I’ve ever started with in the backcourt since I’ve been in the NBA,” Paul said. “I trust him with anything, and that’s not just on the court. We need him, no question.”

Former Villanova star Randy Foye will likely take Billups’ place in the starting lineup with Mo Williams, averaging 14.8 points and 3.8 assists, continuing to come off the bench. Foye has started six games while filling in for both Billups and Paul and is averaging 7.2 points and 2.1 assists in 20 minutes per game.

Before his injury, Billups helped recruit his former Nuggets teammate Kenyon Martin to sign with the Clippers. Martin, who considered the Knicks among other options, could make his debut for the Clippers tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Clippers — along with the Knicks, Lakers, Thunder and Bulls — are also in the market to sign former St. Benedict’s swingman J.R. Smith. He is leading the Chinese Basketball Association in scoring (35.4 points per game) and would be eligible to sign with an NBA team once his Zhejiang club finishes its season.

As for Gallinari, he was diagnosed with a chip fracture in his left foot that doctors said may have occurred before he came to the NBA — with the Knicks — in 2008.

“I don’t remember when it happened and if I did something in the past, but that’s what they said. But that’s better,” said Gallinari, who poured in a career-high 37 points last month when Denver beat the Knicks in double-OT. “I was hoping for that because the recovery won’t be as long.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

GREENBURGH, N.Y.

“I am humbled by all of the thoughts and prayers I have received,” he said in a statement. “Thank you for all of the support. I am going to take a few days to be with my family and grieve the loss of my big brother, Hazell Stoudemire. Although it is not clear to me now, I hope to make some good come from our tragedy.”

Stoudemire took an indefinite leave of absence Monday after learning of the tragic news and missed the Knicks’ 99-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.

He will also be out for Wednesday’s game at the Washington Wizards and it remains unclear if he will return for Friday’s game against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at MSG.

The Knicks (10-15) are also without the services of Eastern Conference starting All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, out 1-2 weeks with a groin injury.

“At this point I just really want him to take as much time as he needs,” Knicks center Tyson Chandler said of Stoudemire. “Basketball is one thing, life and family is completely another thing. I hope the best out of his situation with his family. It’s a tough one.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — If you bought a ticket for Wednesday’s Knicks-Wizards game expecting to see superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, you appear to be out of luck.

The Knicks announced Tuesday that Anthony is out 1-2 weeks with a strained right groin sustained in the first quarter of Monday’s 99-88 win over the Utah Jazz at MSG.

Stoudemire is on an indefinite leave from the team following the death of his old brother, Hazell, Monday in a car crash in Florida. The team had no update on his status Tuesday. Following Wednesday’s game, the Knicks host Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Friday.

“At this point I just really want him to take as much time as he needs,” Knicks center Tyson Chandler said of Stoudemire. “Basketball is one thing, life and family is completely another thing. I hope the best out of his situation with his family. It’s a tough one.”

The Knicks may not have Stoudemire or Anthony, but they do have Linsanity, as in rookie savior Jeremy Lin.

“Well, you can’t really replace them,” Lin said. “But we’re going to have to have people step up and it has to be everybody. It’s not going to be one person scoring 20 points. It’s going to be 2 points here, 2 points there. Everyone is going to have to do a little extra because we don’t have that star power.”

Lin may be the biggest star the Knicks have right now.

He was serenaded with chants of “MVP” during his 28-point, 8-assist outing Monday that followed his 25-point, 5-assist show in Saturday’s win over the Nets.

He said his phone was blowing up with calls from family, friends, former coaches, including Harvard’s Tommy Amaker, and even former teammates form the Golden State Warriors.

Lin was waived by both the Warriors and Houston Rockets in December.

“I talked to all my coaches and most of my teammates in the last three or four days,” Lin said. “It’s just great to hear from everybody, even guys from the Warriors. Being able to talk to my teammates from last year is special.”

Without Anthony and Stoudemire Monday, the Knicks offense looked crisp and fluid, with both Jared Jeffries (13 points) and Steve Novak (19) enjoying season-highs as a result of Lin playing 45 minutes.

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said Bill Walker and Iman Shumpert would pick up most of Anthony’s playing time, with Jeffries, Chandler and even rookie big man Jerome Jordan logging minutes in the frontcourt.

“We have enough versatile guys that we can try to mask it a little bit,” D’Antoni said.

Those versatile guys all seemed comfortable playing with Lin, who said after Monday’s game that he would’ve considered going overseas if he the Knicks had ended up waiving him.

“He’s doing a really good job of just reading the defense and learning,” Chandler said. “Even when he makes a mistake out there and he sees that he may have missed me, he comes right over and says, ‘I saw it. I’ll get it on the next time,’ and that’s the sign of a good point guard.”

Lin doesn’t want to get complacent, either

“Every time we get complacent that’s when trouble comes,” Lin said. “I’m trying to stay ready. The coverages are going to change. There are going to be different reads I’m going to have to make. I’m trying to prepare as best I can.”

Even though the Wizards have one of the NBA’s worst records, they have perhaps the league’s quickest point guard in former Kentucky star John Wall.

“He’s probably the fastest guard in the league so I’m going to have more than my hands full,” Lin said.

On a personal level, he hasn’t even bought a home in the New York area yet because his contract isn’t guaranteed until after Friday.

“After the deadline,” Lin said, “I’ll look for a place.”

FREE THROWS

D’Antoni said Josh Harrellson (fractured right wrist) still had about “three-and-a-half” weeks of recovery time, which would put him back after the All-Star Game Feb. 26.

Photo: Getty Images

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

NEW YORK — There were times in recent weeks when Jeremy Lin wondered whether he’d ever get a real shot in the NBA.

“Of course, of course, that’s definitely going to cross my mind,” Lin, a Harvard grad and one of the first Asian-Americans in the NBA, said Monday night in the Knicks locker room.

After both the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets waived him in December, the Knicks took a flyer on Lin because they needed another point guard in the wake of of Baron Davis’s back injury.

Still, his contract is not guaranteed, so the Knicks could have opted to waive him at any time before Feb. 10 without having to pay the remainder of his contract.

Lin conceded Monday that he might’ve had to go overseas if the Knicks became the third team this season to waive him.

“No, I wasn’t considering that just yet but I figure if I get waived before the [Feb. 10] deadline and there’s nothing left, you know maybe I do need to go overseas but God works in mysterious and miraculous ways,” Lin said.

Lin won’t be getting waived anytime soon.

Not with “Linsanity” running wild.

“I’m riding him like friggin’ Secretariat,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni cracked after Lin put up a career-high 28 points, including 13 in the fourth period, to go with eight assists in his first NBA start as the Knicks beat the Utah Jazz, 99-88.

After losing 11 of 13 games, the Knicks have won two straight and look re-born since Lin began playing a prominent role Saturday night in a 99-92 win over the Nets.

He went for 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in that game.

Without Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony against the Jazz, the Knicks offense hummed and flowed as well as it has all season with Lin playing nearly 45 minutes at the point.

So dominant and impressive was Lin’s performance, that the subject of Anthony — often criticized as a ball-stopper — leaving the game in the first quarter with a groin injury was barely broached during the post-game press conference. D’Antoni said Anthony was “day-to-day.”

Lin was serenaded with chants of “MVP” by the fans — especially when he hit a 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to extend the lead to 95-86 with about two minutes remaining.

“That is huge, I think,” he said of the fans chants. “That is what homecourt advantage is all about…when you have the crowd behind us. The positive energy changes the game.”

After false starts with rookie Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas, D’Antoni finally has a point guard who can create for others.

“He has an attacking mentality,” D’Antoni said. “He can get in the paint and he is a point guard. I think he will get better. He definitely will get better. He has an innate ability to see guys. You can’t explain the game all of the time and he doesn’t need explaining. He knows the game.”

Jared Jeffries, who managed a season-best 13 points, added: “He’s always played well. It’s his work ethic, and he never stops. He’s the first one every day and he does all his workouts with Kenny Atkinson and he deserves a lot of the credit right now on what he’s able to do.”

Said Tyson Chandler, “What Jeremy is doing is incredible because he’s moving everybody to their natural position. Nobody’s having to do anything that they’re not accustomed to doing.”

Asked if he was having the most fun in his basketball life, Lin flashed back to winning a state title at Palo Alto High School.

“It’s up there,” he said. “I mean, my high school team, we had that run to a state championship. They’re all just up there. I can’t just pick and choose and say this is the most fun.”

Not bad for a guy who was waived by two teams and might have had to head overseas if he was waived by a third.

“I’m thankful to my family and friends,” Lin said. “They’ve kept me really strong through all the ups and all the downs and there’s been quite a few in the last year and a half.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

NEW YORK

“Anybody who boos Jared Jeffries has got to re-examine their life a little bit,” D’Antoni said following the Knicks 99-88 victory over the Utah Jazz at MSG.

“I love our fans and I like Madison Square Garden, the arena, but here’s a guy who came back to us, minimum contract. He could’ve gone to a lot of other teams. He plays as hard as anybody could possibly ever play, with injuries, everything you ask him. He takes every charge, every dirty play, every rebound. He works every second.”

Jeffries made his first start April 5, 2011 and finished with a season-high 13 points to go with eight rebounds. He took five charges but he shot 3-for-9 from the field, drawing the fans’ ire every time he missed a layup.

“There are people that look at that and go, ‘Well, I think I’ll boo him,’” D’Antoni said. “I have a hard time believing that. It’s like, ‘Oh, he missed that.’ Yeah, I understand the frustration. I understand it would be great if he could do it, but you boo what is good about America. To me, it’s like, are you kidding me? Are you serious? To me that’s no good, but anyway. Love ‘em anyway, I guess.”

Fans still hold Jeffries accountable for his botched play in Game 2 of the playoffs last year against the Boston Celtics in which he passed up an open layup in favor of a pass to Billy Walker that was intercepted by Kevin Garnett.

“I think that a lot of it is from mistakes I’ve made in the past, mistakes I make now now,” Jeffries said. “But I think I always go out there and play as hard as I can. I play with a lot of effort, a lot of energy. And sometimes fans love me, sometimes they hate me, but that’s not going to affect how much I love this city, how much I enjoy playing at the Garden, and wanting to be part of a winning team here. Me and coach have a great relationship.

He added: “I’ll die for him. I’ll leave blood on the court. That’s why I take charges, why I dive out there. Because he’s the best coach in the NBA. There’s no coach in the NBA that’s a better players coach and you see that with Jeremy Lin. No other coach in the league would have given Jeremy the opportunity he has now. No other coach in the league would give me this chance, Bill Walker, Landry Fields, Steve Novak. The way we played tonight is a tribute to what coach is able to do in getting the best out of his players.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook