[h1]Amare Stoudemire To the Knicks Is a Nightmare Waiting To Unfold[/h1]
by
Daniel Dinunzio
CorrespondentWritten on
July 03, 2010
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Really New York? Amar'e Stoudemire? Come on. Let's be honest here. This is the biggest free-agency period in the history of the NBA, and you've been slashing payroll to sign Stoudemire to a maximum contract.
If this five-year 100 million dollar deal gets signed on Monday, Knicks fans hope this is the beginning of a new era. It might just be the end. He has had a dysfunction end out in Phoenix where he was up in the air on staying or going.
Now he has opted out of his contact and is likely to become a New York Knick. Hey Knick fans wasn't this all about signing LeBron and selling the bright lights of New York to him? With the other competitors out there and teams looking to sign LeBron James, it looks as if the Knicks are on the outside looking in.
Yes, there have been talks about Wade and Bosh, but under what circumstances are those guys going to want to play for Knicks? Wade said he was in "A New York State of Mind," nothing but pure talk after a meeting with Knicks management.
Stoudemire will be 28 years old in November. He has already had major knee surgery (microfrature) back in 2005. This is a serious surgery that can have an impact later on in the careers of some players.
Amar'e is lucky he has recovered, while other athletes careers are diminished after such a devastating knee injury. Stoudemire is a solid NBA player, but there is no way he is worth Max Money.
He's going to New York where he would play for a former coach Mike D'Antoni that questioned his defensive ability and offensive intelligence. Let's get one thing straight: Amar'e Stoudemire is much more an offense impact player than defense.
If Amar'e is the best the Knicks can do this free-agency period, then there are big question marks ahead. With all these teams having big cap space and a pending collective bargaining agreement which could cause a lockout next season, nobody really knows what's going to happen.
With Joe Johnson reportedly having a $119 million over six year deal on the table from the Hawks and now this, it seems this is a competition for who is the most overpaid player this off-season.
Dark "I've done nothing in the NBA" Milicic got $30 million over five years! Are you kidding me? That's absurd.
The bottom-line is Amar'e Stoudemire wants to get paid like the best of them. If this contract becomes a done deal, he will be. Whether or not it's a good investment, well that's one that only time can decide.
The Knicks will still have cap room to sign other players, but it seems Amar'e alone would be a big strikeout. The positioning and transactions Donnie Walsh and company made to have a run at the big guys is closing fast.
Now it's time to let the chips fall where they belong, and the dominoes of NBA Superstars embark on where they each want to continue their respective careers.
Stay tuned. This is going to get interesting.
Stoudemire a "big strikeout?" OD, imo
