The chemistry between Carmelo Anthony and Stoudemire has always posed a question and then there is the question of power forward’s fitness....
No matter how much the New York Knicks try to press that they have no worries about the return of star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire and his integration into the team, which is playing at supreme level, speculations regarding
the trade of 30 year old will never end.
In a recently published report, Howard Beck of the New York Times has claimed that the New York Knicks actually tried to trade the power forward to many teams in the off season;
“This past summer, the Knicks offered Stoudemire to nearly every team in the league — “available for free,” as one rival executive put it. But they found no takers because of his diminished production, his health and his contract,
which has three years and $65 million remaining (counting this season) and which is uninsured against a career-ending knee injury.”
One of these teams was Toronto Raptors, from whom the Knicks wanted Andrea Bargnani. The report also suggests that the Knicks wanted to send Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler just to get their hands on Dwight Howard.
All those attempts turned out to be futile because there was just too much baggage attached with the power forward.
Stoudemire is now close to making a return for the Knicks. He has been under increasing pressure to perform and even had a short stint with Hakeem Olajuwon in the off season in a bid to improve his post game. The presence of Raymond
Felton and Jason kidd in the revamped lineup is bound to help him, but one thing is certain, he will have to find ways to score, and that too in bunches to prove his worth all over again.
There have also been talks of playing the power forward off the bench to make his minutes more effective. Both Stoudemire and Melo like to operate in the mid post, and the concept is certainly one to be pondered over. Stoudemire
stated recently that he is OK with the super-sub role, and it remains to be seen whether Mike Woodson goes for it or not.
Tags: