Amar’e Stoudemire willing to become sixth man for New York Knicks once he returns from injury – NBA News
The New York Knicks have amazed and shocked fans around the NBA and particularly in New York City by starting this season with a great record and being placed in the top three teams of the Eastern Conference. The Knicks, who struggled
with their performance last season and barely made it to the playoffs despite having a super star roster, entered the season having undergone some great offseason roster changes and were expected to perform better than last time around. However, they have
been spectacular so far, being one of the best team of the Eastern Conference.
But the Knicks have an upcoming issue to deal with, and that is the return of their All Star forward Amar’e Stoudemire from knee injury. The team is set with their starting five, but once Stoudemire returns, coach Mike Woodson
will have to decide whether to keep the starting five intact and have Stoudemire, who is an All Star player, come off from the bench or to disturb the chemistry that has so far worked well for them.
Stoudemire, however, has no issues coming off the bench if that is what helps the team succeed as reported by a source with knowledge of his thinking.
"All he cares about right now is helping the team and winning. He'd be fine with coming off the bench if that's what they want,” said the source while talking to ESPNNewYork.com
Stoudemire suffered a knee injury during the preseason which forced him to undergo surgery and miss the start of the season. He has been rehabbing and working on his fitness for the past four weeks, and is said to be sidelined
for at least another week. However, the All Star will eventually return which will make life difficult for Woodson. Stoudemire and Knicks scorer Carmelo Anthony do not share a good chemistry, as the team loses when they are on the court together. In light
of that, many NBA analysts have called for Stoudemire to be brought off the bench, something which he himself does not have any issues if it eventually helps the team win games.
"He just wants to win. He sees how well they're playing and just wants to help. He'll be fine with whatever they want to do,” added the source.
Stoudemire has had knee problems in the past, and underwent knee operation back in 2005. However, he returned well from the injury and played All Star level seasons after the surgery.
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