Ward out 3-4 Weeks 02.16.00

NEW YORK-Starting point guard Charlie Ward of the New York Knicks has a non-displaced fracture in his right pinkie finger and is expected to miss three to four weeks. Ward injured the finger against Charlotte on Feb. 7, but the fracture wasn't discovered until X-rays were taken Wednesday night after a 93-89 victory over Minnesota. Despite the injury, Ward played 24 minutes and scored 10 points against the Timberwolves. Ward was optimistic about his recovery, saying, "I'll be back sooner than you think." Chris Childs will start in Ward's absence. Rick Brunson has been the team's third-string point guard the past two seasons. Ward, 29, is averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 assists in 48 games.