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Amar’e Stoudemire Shows New York Knicks He Has Something Left

By Kenneth Teape

Feb 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Amar'e Stoudemire (5) adjusted his glasses while coming into the game during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Amar'e Stoudemire (5) adjusted his glasses while coming into the game during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Amar’e Stoudemire was written off by plenty of people when the New York Knicks waived him last season, but he has been a pleasant surprise for the Miami Heat and showed to the Knicks that he is not done.

When Amar’e Stoudemire decided to sign a max contract with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2010, he proclaimed the Knicks were back. For a period of time, he was right. The Knicks may not have landed LeBron James, but they got a bonafide superstar that would become the centerpiece of their team with young up-and-coming players surrounding him.

Stoudemire was an MVP candidate that season, as he thrived as the vocal point of the Knicks’ offense in the pick-and-roll with Raymond Felton. It was a thrill to watch him night in and night out, as he was the most talented player the Knicks had on their roster in years.

He averaged 25.3 points per game that season with 8.2 rebounds. 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game as he made an impact on both ends of the court. With Carmelo Anthony acquired next to him, the Knicks looked to have one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA offensively.

Unfortunately, things did not turn out well. Stoudemire’s play began to steadily fall off, as he and Anthony were never able to truly coexist on the court together. His injuries began to mount again as well, causing his production to plummet.

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Fast forward to February 2015. The Knicks and Stoudemire agree to a buyout so that he can join a contending team and try to chase an elusive title that every play wants to win. At the time of his release, many people thought his career was close to an end. With so much of his success stemming from his athleticism, and injuries derailing him so much, it was a fair thing to question how much Stoudemire had left in the tank.

Stoudemire found himself glued to the bench more often than not in the early going for the Heat. He played in only three games and 27 minutes the first 28 games of the season. It looked like he may have run out of gas; there were even rumors that he was thinking of calling it quits and retiring. But, then Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra took a chance on Stoudemire.

In the 30 games after, Stoudemire has played in 27 of them, getting into the rotation because of the injuries that the Heat were dealing with. He has played in 18 straight games, starting the last 15 of those in place of Hassan Whiteside. Stoudemire has done well since being given the opporunity, and the Knicks saw first hand that Stoudemire still has something to offer a team.

Sunday’s game against the Knicks made it 28 out of 31 games for Stoudemire, making it 19 in a row and 16 consecutive starts. Once again, he provided production, scoring eight points with seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 22 minutes. Stoudemire will never be able to play 32+ minutes a game as he did from 2002-2012 (except for the year he had microfracture surgery for the 2005-2006 season), but he can still provide something in limited minutes.

He has grown as a player, as his athleticism is not what it once was. He still has a solid mid-range jumper, and is still deadly in the pick-and-roll game, something Goran Dragic loves to play. Stoudemire has found a perfect home in Miami, as they are one of the best run organizations in the NBA from the front office to the bench.

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Stoudemire’s confidence in himself never wavered despite not getting much playing time at the beginning of the season. But, he knew he would eventually get his chance and kept himself ready for when it did. That time came mid-December, and he has made the most of it.

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