Knicks, Nearing Full Strength, Search for Right Combination GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Carmelo Anthony will "probably not" play Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Mavericks, Coach Mike D'Antoni said, but J. R. Smith and Baron Davis could be in uniform as the Knicks pull closer to full strength. D'Antoni said Anthony was more likely to be back on Monday against the Nets. Upon his return after missing six games with a strained right groin, Anthony will enter a new world full of frothing fans and quick-to-judge reporters, many of them, perhaps unfairly, waiting for his shot selection and isolation play to single-handedly subdue the Jeremy Lin phenomenon known as Linsanity. Smith, Anthony's former teammate with the Nuggets, was signed by the Knicks on Friday, but he missed practice Saturday. D'Antoni originally said Smith was not likely to play Sunday because of the missed practice. But Smith told a fan on Twitter that his first game with the Knicks would be Sunday. While it was not clear if Smith would play, the Twitter message helped Smith's Knicks career get off to an inauspicious start before he even landed in the area. Informed that Smith posted a Twitter message that he was playing Sunday, D'Antoni deadpanned, "Well, then he's playing." "I'll introduce myself before he plays," D'Antoni added. He can dress, and we'll see what happens. Davis, who has been recovering from a herniated disk in his back, is also close to making his debut for the Knicks. He played three-on-three full court in practice Saturday and has run some five-on-zero dummy offense. "He's close," D'Antoni said. He could play tomorrow. Davis said: "I'm feeling a lot better than I was a couple of weeks ago. I'm moving with more fluidity out there and a little bit more grace. Asked if Davis and Smith could just check themselves into the game, D'Antoni responded, "They'll have to tweet it first." Davis, who crossed paths with Smith in 2004-5 in New Orleans, praised Smith. "J. R. Smith is like a brother to me," Davis said. High octane. A lot of energy offensively. He doesn't get enough credit for his defensive ability and his hustle, but he's a game-changer. The Knicks started 3-8 last season as they incorporated Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Landry Fields into the offense and learned to play together. Adjustments were made, and those Knicks found their groove by playing frenetic, team-oriented basketball, winning 18 of the next 24 games. Heading into the All-Star break, the Knicks" success had regressed closer to an expected mean of about .500, but they had an established identity. Two days after the All-Star Game, they started from scratch, trading most of their young core for Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The deal forced the Knicks to go through a second lengthy adaptation period. This off-season, the Knicks signed Tyson Chandler and drafted rotation-caliber players in Iman Shumpert and Josh Harrellson. "It does seem like the third team I've played for since I've been in New York," Stoudemire said during the abbreviated preseason. Three renditions quickly turned into four, as the injury-riddled Knicks failed to meet early expectations until another franchise savior, Lin, engineered a swift turnaround that once again put emphasis on egalitarian offense. Now, for the fifth time in 114 regular-season games, the Knicks will try to succeed despite the names on the court and in the locker room playing a much-hyped game of musical chairs. Four pieces to the puzzle are expected to return by the end of the All-Star break. The integration of Anthony, Smith, Davis and Harrellson - who is expected to return from a fractured wrist after the All-Star break - will provide the Knicks once unimaginable depth and potential. A team that gave regular minutes to Bill Walker, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas in January will probably relegate those three players to mop-up duty. Whereas the Knicks" second unit lacked one starting-caliber player earlier in the season, it will now have three in Davis, Smith and Shumpert. They will complement a solid defender and interior presence (Jared Jeffries) and two floor-spacing shooters (Harrellson and Steve Novak) fighting for minutes as well. Including the All-Star break, the Knicks will have one game in a nine-day stretch beginning Friday to start figuring things out. "We have about four or five practices we can do," D'Antoni said. And we'll get everybody together, and that will be big, major.