GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Here’s what we know about Andrea Bargnani: He hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 8 because of a hamstring injury. He didn’t practice on Tuesday and won’t play Wednesday against Washington. And there is uncertainty about his availability for the Knicks’ regular-season opener next Wednesday.

“We still have eight days before opening night. I can’t say at this point whether or not that’s in jeopardy,” Derek Fisher said of Bargnani playing in the opener against Chicago at Madison Square Garden. “But, obviously, getting some practice time in, being at the level of conditioning that you need to play the game, will be important for Andrea to get in.

Bargnani “With that being said, when he’s healthy, he is the type of player that you need to have on the floor because he can do good things. We are not really focused on that at the moment, but obviously, as this week goes by, we will have to make a decision on it.”

Bargnani started the first preseason game at power forward, and it seemed as if the Knicks had hoped to make him a big part of their rotation. But his injury has thrown those plans in flux.

Quincy Acy has been starting at power forward in place of Bargnani for the past four preseason games. Amar’e Stoudemire, Acy, Bargnani and Jason Smith are competing for minutes at power forward.

Bargnani hasn’t practiced since at least Oct. 11. Fisher said on Monday that the former No. 1 overall pick still had some discomfort in his hamstring.

“Andrea was progressing. He had some workouts to the side of the court as we were practicing a couple of days, and during some of those workouts he was still experiencing some discomfort,” the coach said. “I think at this point of the season it’s still smart to be cautious early. When he first steps on the floor, he should not have any question about what he’s capable of doing. That will free his mind to go out and compete every night. Collectively, everybody’s just not ready for that moment. But we hope it will be soon because he’s a key to a lot of what we’ll be doing out there.”

Bargnani didn’t make much of an impact in his first season in New York (13.3 points on 44 percent shooting). The Knicks hoped that Bargnani could emerge as a strong complementary piece to Carmelo Anthony when they traded for him in the summer of 2013. Instead, he was limited to 42 games due to injury.

The best-case scenario for both Bargnani and the Knicks this season is that the big man will stay healthy on knock down jump shots in the triangle offense to keep defenses from loading up on Anthony. But Bargnani, who is entering the final year of his contract, can’t do that if he’s not healthy.

“It’s still just day-to-day in terms of how he’s feeling,” Fisher said. “We’re still going to be smart this early, but we’re hoping to have him back as soon as we can.”

Fish looking for "balance" in starting 5: Because of some nagging injuries to some rotation players, Fisher isn’t sure who he is going to start against Washington. He started Stoudemire at center alongside Acy at power forward on Monday. There’s a possibility those two can start together again on Wednesday. Fisher will reveal his lineup before Wednesday’s game.

He has stressed that he’s looking for defensive "balance" in the starting five -- and, really, all units on the floor. The Knicks finished last season ranked 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions.

“Any five guys that are starting, you need to have some guys that really enjoy playing defense and want to be defenders and you have guys that can be your scorers and offensive threats,” Fisher said. “So you try to find some balance. Sometimes people don’t understand why guys are starting and why others aren’t, but you try to do what you think is best for the team so there are not inconsistencies from one lineup to another. You want to be able to play everybody and sustain a certain level of performance.”

Fish wants Knicks to push pace: The Knicks under Mike Woodson consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in pace. That should change this season. Fisher stressed on Tuesday that he wants the Knicks to push the ball up the floor to create transition baskets.

“We want to be consistent in who we are. So when we get rebounds and stops we can get out into the open floor and attack before the defense is set up. That’s not the triangle offense -- that’s transition offense,” Fisher said. “That’s something that we’ve continued to focus with our guys -- that we’re not running down the floor to set up the triangle, we’re running down the floor to score, and then if that’s not there, we have a format that we [play] out of offensively.”

J.R. might sit Wednesday: J.R. Smith missed Tuesday’s practice due to back soreness and might sit out on Wednesday against Washington.

Question: If you were Derek Fisher, what would you do with Andrea Bargnani once he is healthy enough to play?

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