Amare Stoudemire will start for the New York Knicks Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers after a nearly month-long absence due to a back injury.

"Don't know how many minutes I'll play him, just kind of gauge it as we go along. It's good to have him back," interim coach Mike Woodson said after Friday's shootaround.

Stoudemire has missed 13 games due to a bulging lower disk in his back and said that the injury had nothing to do with a prior back injury that plagued him throughout last year's playoffs.