Reggie Bullock, signed by the Knicks this past offseason, has sat out the team's first 28 games as he recovers from offseason back surgery.
But on Tuesday, he was fully cleared to return to practice, the next step towards getting on the court in game action.
"I'm very excited, I'm excited to put on a Knicks jersey," Bullock said on Wednesday. "It was my reason to come here to New York, to be able to help the franchise, play for the city, play basketball ... I was down for a bit. But now I just work my way back and I'm just ready to be out there with my guys.
"I've been cleared for practice, now it's just all about getting in the groove with the guys, getting in the mix, and continuing to just work and just getting my conditioning back up and just being out there with the guys, just learning all the sets."
Bullock was reportedly set to sign a two-year, $21 million deal with the Knicks before his medical issue caused a snag. The Knicks then signed him for a much lower amount: a two-year deal worth $8.2 million, though the second year is not fully guaranteed.
"It looked like a long journey," Bullock said of his injury. "Back in July, even when it happened, I was just thinking about, December is so far along, so far away. To see that I've made up so much time over the time and worked hard to be able to get back out here, to be able to play with my guys playing with the Knicks, it was a long journey but I'm right here almost at the finish line so (I) just continue to keep pushing.
"I had no choice (but to stay positive). This is my life. Basketball is my life. And I knew that this was a tough injury to deal with and it was a long time that I would be down. I just kept focusing. I just knew I had to just keep pushing for myself and I knew that I'd be able to overcome it and make a strong comeback and I'll be ready for it."
Bullock, 28, is in his seventh NBA season. He has bounced around in his pro career, spending time with the Clippers, Suns, Pistons, and Lakers. He has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
Bullock believes his veteran status can help the Knicks as they continue to try to build something positive under interim head coach Mike Miller.
"Just a veteran that's been in the league for a little bit. Played in different situations with different teams," Bullock said. "Be a spacer, be a defender, be a veteran on the team and just bring my leadership. Just try to do a lot of the little things that I've been seeing from the sideline that the team could possibly use with some of the skill sets that I have. So, I'm excited to be out there with them.
"I see the guys playing with energy. I see the guys, just loving each other, just trying to make the right pass to each other. And I just feel like the energy is high right now, we have to keep pushing that. We have a great coaching staff that took over. It's all about us just building, overcoming the hump that we started the season with. Just keep building and pushing, keep building and pushing and taking it one game at a time."