PHOENIX – Amar’e Stoudemire is back in the Valley of the Sun, healthy, productive, in the starting lineup and still part of a playoff race.
Nobody expected this. Stoudemire is playing and Andrea Bargnani is not. The Knicks made the big trade for Bargnani in the offseason, thinking Stoudemire was shot.
Stoudemire will get a warm greeting from the US Airways Center crowd when introduced Friday night. Knicks coach Mike Woodson gave his applause to the former Sun at the team’s morning shootaround.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him,’’ Woodson said. “Amar’e’s worked to play basketball. A lot of players would’ve called it quits. He’s hanging right there with us.
“To keep bouncing back, it takes a lot of mental and physical effort,’’ Woodson added. “He keeps doing it. That to me is a sign of a true pro. A lot of guys would after a while forget it [and say]: ‘I had enough, enough is enough.’ He hasn’t been like that. I admire him for that. I know how hard he’s worked.’’
Stoudemire has played in 56 of 72 games. The games he’s missed weren’t because of a serious injury, just resting for precautionary measures. His play keeps getting better, and now he’s up to 11.5 points in 21.6 minutes on 55.6 percent shooting with 4.7 rebounds. The season started with Stoudemire on a 10-minute cap and not allowed to play in back-to-back games.
“I had no idea what I’d get,’’ Woodson added. “I just didn’t. When medical tells you he has to start out at 10 minutes a game, that’s tough.
“I always keep my fingers crossed with Amar’e.”
Stoudemire’s cap is at 30 minutes now, and more importantly, he’s recently formed a productive starting frontcourt with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler — the way it was planned. Because the Hawks are struggling, the Knicks are still ticking — entering the action 1 ½ games behind in the chase for the final playoff berth with 10 games left.
“There’s a lot of great memories in this building, for sure,’’ said Stoudemire, who played in Phoenix from 2002 to 2010. “To be back is great. It’s just been a successful year in terms of health. The great thing about it is we’re playing for something now. The motivation is even higher.”
Even Suns owner Robert Sarver didn’t expect Stoudemire to still be viable at this stage of his career with his history of knee trouble. Stoudemire is in the fourth season of his five-year, $100 million contract with the Knicks. No, it hasn’t gone the way owner James Dolan envisioned, with all the surgeries, but he’s still at it. Sarver refused to give Stoudemire more than a three-year contract.
“I feel great, my body feels strong, I feel healthy,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’ll continue to say my prayers and continue to stay healthy the rest of my career.’’
Stoudemire went through a nightmare last season. He needed knee debridement surgery during training camp, returned in January and needed a second debridement surgery in March, missing the game in Phoenix along the way. He came back in the middle of the second round of the playoffs vs. Indiana, was rusty and didn’t help the cause. He had minor arthroscopic surgery after the season, and the Knicks delayed strenuous rehab until training camp to keep him away from the wear and tear.
Bargnani was supposed to be the team’s starting power forward this season, but the chemistry with Anthony wasn’t right. Bargnani tore up his elbow in mid-January. He still hasn’t made it back, and Woodson almost never refers to him. Bargnani made the West Coast trip, but it seems he’s only insurance in case Stoudemire goes down again.
Woodson finally tossed Stoudemire into the starting lineup earlier this month and it’s coincided with a 9-2 spree.
“When a player’s minutes go up, productivity will be better, too,’’ Woodson said. “I got to think getting in starting lineup has enhanced that as well.’’
Stoudemire’s low-post game, which he worked on two summers ago with tutelage from Hakeem Olajuwon, has added to his repertoire. Stoudemire’s mid-range jumper has been solid and he no longer needs to score solely off pick-and-rolls. He’s getting a lot of dirty buckets on the block.
“It gave us another option,’’ Woodson said. “It’s amazing he developed a low-post game in a short period of time. Most guys can’t do that. It does take some of the load off Melo.’’
New Knicks president Phil Jackson has decisions this summer. Stoudemire’s contract becomes an expiring one, which in the NBA world is an attractive trade chip — especially if the player can still play. Certainly Jackson will look to see if he can net future assets in a Stoudemire deal. Or Jackson can decide to keep Stoudemire and see if he can continue to turn back the clock.