The 6-time all-star has seen a career resurgence in time for a final playoff push.
Just over a month ago, I wrote an article bashing the New York Knicks for their tumultuous ways.
Those same Knicks still have a chance to make the playoffs.
No need to scratch your eyes or wipe your glasses folks. This is not an illusion. The Knicks have won 12 of their last 15 games and they are now tied with the Atlanta Hawks, who have lost seven of their last eight, for the eights spot in the Eastern Conference.With Phil Jackson now at the helm, the Knicks have seven games remaining to claw their way into the playoff picture. Carmelo Anthony continues to remain on top of his game while J.R. Smith is beginning to look like the Sixth Man of the Year from last season. Tim Hardaway, Jr. has exceeded expectations all season long and Tyson Chandler, who had previously ran his mouth about the Knicks’ defensive philosophies, has kept quiet. Lost in the act, however, is the man who brought the Knicks back into relevancy three years ago and is partially responsible for luring Anthony away from the Denver Nuggets.
That man is Amar’e Stoudemire, this week’s Unsung Hero.
Stat’s time in New York has been a period of both highs and lows. After signing a 5-year contract worth roughly $100 million in 2009, Stoudemire averaged 25.3 PPG in his first season with the Knicks, earning himself an all-star selection. Stoudemire also helped persuade Carmelo Anthony to request a trade to the Knicks later that season. With Stoudemire and Anthony now on the same roster, many believed that the Knicks would take control of the Eastern Conference and win their first NBA championship since 1973.
Too soon.
Entering the playoffs as the sixth seed, the Knicks were demolished by the Boston Celtics in four games. The following season, the Knicks dropped to seventh in the East and were subsequently destroyed by the Miami Heat in five games. In 2012, New York’s best season since Stoudemire and Anthony’s arrival, the Knicks won their first playoff series since 2000 after defeating the Celtics in six games. However, they quickly dissolved and they fell to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals.
Three years and two coaches later, the Knicks are still searching for that elusive title. Anthony and Stoudemire have yet to show they can play together and be effective while doing so. Moreover, Melo seemed to take over the team’s leadership role and he has also become the team’s primary scorer. On the other hand, Stoudemire, the $100 million man who brought hope and excitement back to an ailing franchise, had become nothing more than a sideshow on the traveling circus that is the New York Knicks.
Injuries have also derailed the former all-star’s career. In 2005, as a member of the Phoenix Suns, Stoudemire underwent microfracture surgery to repair cartilage damage in his knee. His knee issues would resurface in 2012. After undergoing a knee debridement in October which required him to miss the first 30 games of the season, Stat became injured again and had to undergo a second knee debridement in March. He only played 29 games in 2012 and he was unable to make any impact due to a minutes restriction placed on him by the Knicks’ medical staff. Last July, Stoudemire underwent another surgical procedure to clean up one of his two problematic knees. Because of the surgery, he was forced to sit out the second game of back-to-backs and he continued to see minimal playing time.
Stoudemire has suffered his fair share of minor injuries throughout his career, but multiple knee surgeries have prevented him from regaining his all-star form. Now 31 years old, Stat’s best years are almost certainly behind him.
Or are they?
Stoudemire has asserted numerous times that his knees are fine and that he has plenty of energy left in his body. Has his recent play reflected those sentiments? Let’s look at the stats. In the month of March, Stat averaged 16.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG while shooting 56.9% from the field, well above his totals for the season (11.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 54.9 FG%). He also played 28.4 MPG in March, seven minutes higher than his season average. Stat is +45 for the month of March, meaning that while he was on the floor, the Knicks scored 45 more points than their opponents’ cumulative point total. Lastly, the Knicks finished 11-5 in March, their best win-loss record for any month this season.
With just under two weeks remaining in the season, the Knicks have a legitimate shot of making the postseason. If they do indeed beat out the Hawks for the final playoff spot, a large amount of credit deserves to be given to Stoudemire. After all the injuries, setbacks, and rehabilitation, Stat is proving to everyone that he is still a great player who will do whatever it takes to win
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