New York Knicks: 25 Greatest Players of All-Time
You can complain all you’d like about Amar’e Stoudemire’s inability to remain healthy. You can criticize his big contract, reference his production and find reasons to be pessimistic.
The reality is this: Stoudemire single-handedly put the New York Knicks back on the map.
Stoudemire signed with the Knicks at a time when very few players were willing to look their way. His tenure was marred by injuries, but STAT led New York to a stunning turnaround in 2011-12.
With the same head coach and system, and virtually the same supporting cast, Stoudemire took New York from 29 wins in 2009-10 to 42 in his first season with the team.
During his four-and-a-half seasons with the team, STAT provided fans with a range of emotions. Through it all, he was an approachable professional who respected the name on the front of the jersey.
Statistically, Stoudemire’s 2010-11 campaign saw him become the first Knicks player to average at least 25.0 points per game since Patrick Ewing in 1990-91, per Basketball-Reference.com.
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