Amar’e Stoudemire (Reuters)
The $100 million man will be the 30-minute man the rest of the season.
Amar’e Stoudemire has truly joined the 30-30 club. He turned 30 in November, and coach Mike Woodson said yesterday he won’t be permitted to play him more than 30 minutes the rest of the season because of Stoudemire’s recent left-knee surgery.
A combination of the medical staff led by Dr. Lisa Callahan, general manager Glen Grunwald and Woodson jointly agreed 30 minutes per game are enough for 2012-13 — for Stoudemire’s longevity and efficiency.
Woodson’s revelation that the restriction is season-long comes the day after Stoudemire was a near perfect 9-of-10 for a season-high 22 points in 22 minutes in a win over the 76ers. It also comes four days after the trade deadline when assuredly Stoudemire was available, with his maximum contract still having two years and $45 million left on it.
That the 30-minute cap will be in place the rest of the season also helps explain why the Knicks went after free agent Kenyon Martin. And it helps explain why Stoudemire has yet to voice complaints about not starting — or finishing — games. He has averaged 22.8 minutes this season off the bench, with a healthy 13.7 scoring average on 56.9 percent shooting.
In none of his 23 games has Woodson played Stoudemire more than 29 minutes as it’s clear the coach tries to lessen the amount of time Carmelo Anthony and Stoudemire are on the court together. The Knicks believe Stoudemire is best when he’s the go-to guy.
However, such a restriction, Woodson admits, can be a challenge for the coach, especially in the playoffs if Stoudemire is in rhythm and Anthony isn’t. Or if a game gets to overtime.
“Thirty minutes is his max and whatever damage he does in those 30 minutes, he’ll be out there doing it,’’ Woodson said. “I can’t go over 30 for his sake as far as physical condition is concerned.’’
By contrast, Anthony, who is starting at Stoudemire’s power-forward position, averages 38.1 minutes.
“He doesn’t need much more than that,’’ Woodson said. “STAT’s been in this league a number of years and he can get a lot done in 30 minutes. I think if he keeps his mind and body physically ready for it, 30 minutes is enough minutes for him to do damage.’’
However, Woodson said: “I’m trying not to burn him early and then run out of minutes.’’
Stoudemire did not make himself available for comment after yesterday’s practice. After his big night against Philadelphia, Stoudemire came closest to showing discontent if he’s not starting and the team’s not winning. The victory over the Sixers broke a four-game losing streak. The Knicks are 2-5 in their last seven and a mediocre 15-15 in their last 30 following an 18-5 start.
“As long as we’re winning, it’s not hard,’’ Stoudemire said. “When we start losing a bit, it gets you thinking about it.’’
Woodson seemed surprised at the tone of Stoudemire’s remark.
“He’s got to come talk to me about that,’’ Woodson said. “At the end of the day, we are winning, we’re still sitting at the top of our division where we want to be. Could we be better? Absolutely. I’ve had the same starting lineup the last I think [16] games. And it’s probably going to continue to stay that way.’’
However, Woodson hasn’t trusted Stoudemire’s defense enough to play him in the final minutes nor does he appear to want him cramping Anthony’s style. Woodson claimed that versus Philly, he would have played Stoudemire in the final minutes but he had five fouls and was saving him for an overtime that never materialized.