Stoudemire Committed to New York
Jul 8 2010 5:32PM
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Sporting his No. 1 jersey, Stoudemire looks to make the Knicks the top team in the Eastern Conference.
MSG Photos
James Dolan and Amar’e Stoudemire were the only two people in the room last Monday when the Knicks owner asked the unrestricted free agent if he was ready to make a commitment to the New York Knicks. The answered seemed to be a no-brainer for Stoudemire, much to the surprise of Dolan.
“When he said ‘Yes,’ I actually looked at him and said, ‘Really?’” Dolan said with a smile.
It’s no surprise that players want to play in New York, but it takes a certain kind of person to have the guts that Stoudemire has shown throughout the free agency process. Not only was he the first major free agent to commit to a team, he was also the first to take on the challenge of playing on basketball’s biggest stage.
“It takes courage to play where the lights shine the brightest,” Dolan said. “It takes leadership and character and confidence to step up and say ‘I’ll go first.’ And it takes great skill to succeed in the world’s No. 1 market. We have all of those factors in Amar’e Stoudemire and we are quite pleased to have him on the New York Knicks.”
Although Stoudemire and the Knicks announced their intentions to negotiate a contract earlier in the week, nothing became official until Thursday afternoon’s press conference at Madison Square Garden. Standing on the floor where he’ll be playing each night, Stoudemire took pictures holding up his new No. 1 Knicks jersey before sitting down next to Dolan, team president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D’Antoni and saying a few words.
Stoudemire spoke about his intentions with his new team.
“It’s a goal of mine to ultimately win a championship and that’s what we need to do here in New York,” he said. “It’s the start of a new era. We’re starting a new era with the Knicks to try to get back to the top. It will take one step at a time and a lot of hard work. It takes dedication. It takes focus. It takes self discipline. If you want stuff to happen, you better be willing to accept the challenges. I’m definitely ready and willing to accept those challenges.”
The Knicks also believe locking down Stoudemire was the first step to building something special in New York. Al Trautwig, the host of the press conference, compared this day to the day the Knicks traded for Dave DeBusschere during the 1968-69 season and the day the team drafted Patrick Ewing back in 1984. That’s how much of an impact the Knicks believe Stoudemire will have on the franchise and the city.
“The thing about Amar’e is that if there’s a challenge in front of him he will do whatever it takes to get over that hurdle,” said D’Antoni, who coached Stoudemire for five seasons in Phoenix. “And he has proven that with injuries time and time again in Phoenix. We won a lot of games together and hopefully we’ll be successful here.
“I do know that New York probably isn’t for everybody because it’s a big stage. You have to show guts and grits and you have to come every day to work. And Amar’e will do that. I’m sure we’ll have other guys following him and we’ll see who else steps up to the challenge.”
D’Antoni was, of course, referring to the other free agents in the NBA. Even after signing Stoudemire to a long-term deal, the Knicks still have a significant amount of salary-cap room, and they intend to use it, according to Walsh. Right now, the Knicks are below the 13-man roster requirement to start a season.
“When I arrived here in New York, our goal was to clear enough flexibility to sign the elite players in our league that would enable us to build a championship-caliber team,” Walsh said. “Signing Amar’e represents the first step in that process. Amar’e gives us one of the premiere frontcourt players in the league whose numerous abilities and familiarity with Mike’s system make him an outstanding fit for us.”
The question now is: who else has the guts to take on New York like Stoudemire?
“When he said ‘Yes,’ I actually looked at him and said, ‘Really?’” Dolan said with a smile.
It’s no surprise that players want to play in New York, but it takes a certain kind of person to have the guts that Stoudemire has shown throughout the free agency process. Not only was he the first major free agent to commit to a team, he was also the first to take on the challenge of playing on basketball’s biggest stage.
“It takes courage to play where the lights shine the brightest,” Dolan said. “It takes leadership and character and confidence to step up and say ‘I’ll go first.’ And it takes great skill to succeed in the world’s No. 1 market. We have all of those factors in Amar’e Stoudemire and we are quite pleased to have him on the New York Knicks.”
Although Stoudemire and the Knicks announced their intentions to negotiate a contract earlier in the week, nothing became official until Thursday afternoon’s press conference at Madison Square Garden. Standing on the floor where he’ll be playing each night, Stoudemire took pictures holding up his new No. 1 Knicks jersey before sitting down next to Dolan, team president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D’Antoni and saying a few words.
Stoudemire spoke about his intentions with his new team.
“It’s a goal of mine to ultimately win a championship and that’s what we need to do here in New York,” he said. “It’s the start of a new era. We’re starting a new era with the Knicks to try to get back to the top. It will take one step at a time and a lot of hard work. It takes dedication. It takes focus. It takes self discipline. If you want stuff to happen, you better be willing to accept the challenges. I’m definitely ready and willing to accept those challenges.”
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“The thing about Amar’e is that if there’s a challenge in front of him he will do whatever it takes to get over that hurdle,” said D’Antoni, who coached Stoudemire for five seasons in Phoenix. “And he has proven that with injuries time and time again in Phoenix. We won a lot of games together and hopefully we’ll be successful here.
“I do know that New York probably isn’t for everybody because it’s a big stage. You have to show guts and grits and you have to come every day to work. And Amar’e will do that. I’m sure we’ll have other guys following him and we’ll see who else steps up to the challenge.”
D’Antoni was, of course, referring to the other free agents in the NBA. Even after signing Stoudemire to a long-term deal, the Knicks still have a significant amount of salary-cap room, and they intend to use it, according to Walsh. Right now, the Knicks are below the 13-man roster requirement to start a season.
“When I arrived here in New York, our goal was to clear enough flexibility to sign the elite players in our league that would enable us to build a championship-caliber team,” Walsh said. “Signing Amar’e represents the first step in that process. Amar’e gives us one of the premiere frontcourt players in the league whose numerous abilities and familiarity with Mike’s system make him an outstanding fit for us.”
The question now is: who else has the guts to take on New York like Stoudemire?
