NBA

Knicks’ Stoudemire says players will start own league

Amar’e Stoudemire (WireImage)

Amar’e Stoudemire said last night if the NBA lockout wipes out the season, he believes the players will form their own league instead of trying to catch on in Europe.

“If we don’t go to Europe, we’re going to start our own league, that’s how I see it,” the Knicks forward said. “It’s very serious. It’s a matter of us strategically coming up with a plan, a blueprint and putting it together. So we’ll see how this lockout goes. If it goes one or two years, we’ve got to start our own league.”

Stoudemire, who spoke at the 34th street Foot Locker where he debuted his new Nike Air Max shoe, declined to say if there’s financial backing in place.

“We want to play NBA basketball but if it doesn’t happen, what are we going to do?” Stoudemire said. “We can’t just sit around and not do anything. We’ve got to figure out ways now to play basketball at a high level against top competition and have fun doing it, so that’s the next step.”

Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony took part in the South Florida Classic at Florida International University last Saturday – a quasi-NBA All-Star Game that included nine All-Star. Anthony and Stoudemire are planning an NBA All-Star-fest in mid-November for New York.

Stoudemire said for now, he has ignored all inquiries from European teams.

“I haven’t entertained it yet, but as this lockout continues, I may entertain it more and more,” he said.

According to sources, Stoudemire has postponed the mid-October Knicks training camp in Bradenton, Fla., until early November. Several Knicks could not commit for a full week in October.

Stoudemire predicted the lockout will end after the first two weeks of regular-season games are scrapped. That could mean an opening-night tip-off of early December.

“I would say it ends after the first two weeks have been canceled – Nov. 14,” he said.

Stoudemire said he realizes the Knicks need a training camp more than most teams because of the chemistry needed to get himself, Anthony and Chauncey Billups on the same page.

“I think it’s a matter that we may have more games to figure it out, even though we don’t have a long training camp,” Stoudemire said. “It’s going to take a little time for us to get it together, but I think it’s a matter of us having more games to play together this year than last year and understanding what type of players we are.”