Written by Frank Isola at New York Daily News
The last time Amar’e Stoudemire signed a free-agent contract in New York he declared “the Knicks are back.” Six years later, there were no such bold proclamations when one of the best power forwards of his era agreed to a deal on Tuesday for the sole purpose of retiring as a Knick.
It may seem odd that Stoudemire has such a strong connection to the orange and blue considering his best years were with the Phoenix Suns when Amar’e and Steve Nash ran the pick-and-roll like a modern day Stockton and Malone. But Stoudemire had a falling out with Suns ownership and he always felt a strong connection to James Dolan, the man who agreed to pay him $100 million over five years back in 2010.
“I want to thank Mr. Dolan, Phil (Jackson) and Steve (Mills) for signing me so that I can officially retire as a New York Knick,” Stoudemire said in a statement.
“I came to New York in 2010 to help revitalize this franchise and we did just that. Carmelo (Anthony), Phil and Steve have continued this quest, and with this year’s acquisitions, the team looks playoff-bound once again. Although my career has taken me to other places around the country, my heart had always remained in the Big Apple. Once a Knick, Always a Knick.”
Amar’e retires: here are the ups and downs of his Knicks career
The Knicks paid Stoudemire superstar money even though they were getting a player with diminishing skills and physical limitations. But he was an important signing because in the summer of 2010 the Knicks were finally under the salary cap and needed to make a splash.
LeBron James was the primary target, but three days after Stoudemire’s infamous line about the Knicks being back, James stole the spotlight by announcing before a national television audience that he was taking his talents to South Beach.
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