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Amare Stoudemire
The Jeremy Lin phenomenon captivated Knicks fans this season, but his agent is telling fans that it's no guarantee that Lin will be back in New York. Lin is a restricted free agent this summer, and while New York gave him the shot that made him a household name, he could potentially use his star status to land in a more appealing situation. Knicks coach Mike Woodson said that Lin would "definitely" be back with the Knicks, but is the coach's confidence in Lin's return misplaced?
Lin's future?
Lin could see where his marketability would take him. Teams are always looking for talented point guards to run their offenses.
Where would Lin thrive?
That being said, Lin could have something special with the Knicks -- if he ends up meshing well with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, the Knicks could be championship contenders.
Would Lin have made a difference?
This year, the Knicks were definitely not championship contenders. They managed to win onyl one game against an (apparently) beatable Heat team despite several close misses. Tellingly, Lin was out with an injury the entire time.
The Knicks' soap opera of a season ended Wednesday night with a seemingly inevitable loss to the Heat, which means it's time for the annual edition of "What do the Knicks do now?" Amare Stoudemire is on record as saying that Steve Nash would be a great fit on the team, which would leave no room for the somewhat-phenom that is Jeremy Lin. Amare himself is under scrutiny, as he and Carmelo Anthony haven't quite clicked yet. The team also has questions to answer at coach -- Mike Woodson seemed a good fit for New York, but the Knicks considered reaching out to former coach Phil Jackson. It doesn't look to be a boring offseason at Madison Square Garden.
Trade Amare?
Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony have had a hard time getting on the same page, which might signal the need for a trade in New York.
Nash or Lin?
That said, if they do end up keeping Amare, the Knicks must decide whether to pursue Steve Nash or keep Jeremy Lin. Someone has to dish it to Stoudemire, after all.
Woodson's potential?
Mike Woodson did an admirable job taking over for Mike D'Antoni after his departure, but is he a long-term solution?
Is Jackson done?
The Knicks were reportedly interested in Phil Jackson, but never reached out to him because they weren't certain he would take the job.
Amare Stoudemire isn't the first star to injure himself in these playoffs, but his injury may have been the most avoidable. Reacting poorly after a Game 2 loss to the Heat, Stoudemire punched a glass case containing a fire extinguisher, lacerating his hand and possibly knocking him out for the rest of the playoffs. Stoudemire said on Twitter that he wasn't proud of his actions, but do you attribute it more to his desire to win than selfishness?
Amare's motivation?
Some experts are calling Stoudemire's actions selfish, but he may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Knicks' chances?
The Knicks haven't been able to solve the Heat's offerings so far, and losing Stoudemire will make it that much more difficult.
Carmelo to step up?
This could be a chance for Carmelo Anthony to prove that he can carry a team on his back -- no Stoudemire or Jeremy Lin could mean that Anthony has a chance to light up the scoreboard.
On Tuesday, "First Take" debated Amare Stoudemire's impending return to the Knicks. The team has been playing pretty well without him, actually, which brings up the all-important idea of chemistry over talent. Tim Legler would bring Stoudemire off the bench due to the fact that he doesn't fit in the Knicks' successful smaller lineup, while Skip Bayless is of the opinion that Amare would be an asset in the playoffs. What's your take?
On Tuesday, "First Take" debated the fate of the Knicks without Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire has been lost "indefinitely" with a bulging disk in his lower back, while Jeremy Lin is day to day with a sore right knee. The Knicks are just barely in the playoff picture right now, and despite a two-game winning streak, injuries could leave them on the outside looking in come playoff time. What's your take?
Clutch young stars?
We know we've been writing a lot about Jeremy Lin, but he just doesn't stop with this whole emergence-as-a-breakout-star thng. He hit a last-second 3 last night to beat the Raptors, which reminds us of another young star who had a knack for coming through in the clutch.
Better teammates?
It's not just a one-man show in either New York or Denver. Jeremy Lin's going to have two of the finest players in the NBA by his side when Carmelo Anthony comes back to join Amare Stoudemire, and Tim Tebow can rely on Elvis Dumervil and company to keep it close on defense.
Anthony or Lin?
Lin's hit just one game-winning shot, and the Knicks usually go to Carmelo Anthony when things are on the line. When Anthony comes back, however, should the Knicks stick with what's been working at the end of games?
Will the new combo work?
The Knicks have become Jeremy Lin's team in the time Carmelo Anthony has been out, but Anthony insists that when he takes the reins back, he and Lin won't have a problem coexisting.
Who will benefit?
Amare Stoudemire returns tonight after missing a week for his brother's funeral. He and Anthony have made a competitive pair, but will he get more out of the new-look Knicks than Carmelo?
Are the Knicks contenders?
Lin's emergence has helped the Knicks stay in the race during the absence of their two big stars, but they're still under .500 in a shortened season. Will they make the playoffs?
Which teams rule the NBA? Our experts give you their take on basketball's balance of power each week with the ESPN.com Power Rankings, but that's only part of the equation. Which teams do you believe are the contenders and pretenders?
Click the logos below to set your rankings!
NBA Power Rankings
76ers
76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
19-9
Bobcats
Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
3-24
Bucks
Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
12-15
Bulls
Bulls
Chicago Bulls
23-7
Cavaliers
Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
10-16
Celtics
Celtics
Boston Celtics
15-12
Clippers
Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
17-8
Grizzlies
Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
14-14
Hawks
Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
18-10
Heat
Heat
Miami Heat
21-7
Hornets
Hornets
New Orleans Hornets
4-23
Jazz
Jazz
Utah Jazz
14-12
Kings
Kings
Sacramento Kings
10-17
Knicks
Knicks
New York Knicks
13-15
Lakers
Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
16-12
Magic
Magic
Orlando Magic
17-11
Mavericks
Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
17-11
Nets
Nets
New Jersey Nets
8-21
Nuggets
Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
16-12
Pacers
Pacers
Indiana Pacers
17-10
Pistons
Pistons
Detroit Pistons
8-21
Raptors
Raptors
Toronto Raptors
9-20
Rockets
Rockets
Houston Rockets
16-12
Spurs
Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
19-9
Suns
Suns
Phoenix Suns
12-15
Thunder
Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
21-6
Timberwolves
Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
13-15
Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
15-13
Warriors
Warriors
Golden State Warriors
10-14
Wizards
Wizards
Washington Wizards
6-22
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A serious injury for Carmelo?
The Knicks will have to make do without the services of Carmelo Anthony for one to two weeks, as he strained his right groin in Monday night's win over the Jazz.
A rising star in Jeremy Lin?
At least temporarily, the Knicks will be able to rely on Jeremy Lin, whose emergence in the past two games had some at Madison Square Garden chanting "MVP!"
Can the Knicks rebound?
That being said, the Knicks are in a precarious position -- 10-15, terrible on the road and facing a potential skid without their star player.
Are Carmelo and Amare the answer?
Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were supposed to make New York a contending team, but it hasn't worked out that way so far.
Which teams rule the NBA? Our experts give you their take on basketball's balance of power each week with the ESPN.com Power Rankings, but that's only part of the equation. Which teams do you believe are the contenders and pretenders?
NBA Power Rankings
76ers
76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
17-7
Bobcats
Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
3-21
Bucks
Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
10-13
Bulls
Bulls
Chicago Bulls
20-6
Cavaliers
Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
9-13
Celtics
Celtics
Boston Celtics
13-10
Clippers
Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
14-7
Grizzlies
Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
12-12
Hawks
Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
16-8
Heat
Heat
Miami Heat
18-6
Hornets
Hornets
New Orleans Hornets
4-20
Jazz
Jazz
Utah Jazz
13-9
Kings
Kings
Sacramento Kings
8-15
Knicks
Knicks
New York Knicks
9-15
Lakers
Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
14-10
Magic
Magic
Orlando Magic
15-9
Mavericks
Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
14-11
Nets
Nets
New Jersey Nets
8-17
Nuggets
Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
15-9
Pacers
Pacers
Indiana Pacers
16-7
Pistons
Pistons
Detroit Pistons
6-20
Raptors
Raptors
Toronto Raptors
8-17
Rockets
Rockets
Houston Rockets
13-11
Spurs
Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
16-9
Suns
Suns
Phoenix Suns
9-14
Thunder
Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
18-5
Timberwolves
Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
12-12
Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
14-10
Warriors
Warriors
Golden State Warriors
8-13
Wizards
Wizards
Washington Wizards
4-20
Your Rankings
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- Rank 'Em: Is Carmelo Anthony better than Chris Paul or Amare Stoudemire?
- Vote: Should the Nuggets go ahead and trade Anthony now?
So Carmelo Anthony, potentially eligible for free agency next summer, reportedly is headed for a parting of ways with the Denver Nuggets? You know, with no World Cup next year, there might be some available schedule slots for summer programming ...
Anthony and the Nuggets may settle his future before he hits free agency, be it by a trade out of Denver or an extension to remain in the city, but as big a deal as another gathering of superstars might be in a place like New York, SportsNation commenter 454Brandon suggests it's not exactly like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Anthony and the rest of a generation would be forever altering the NBA landscape.
- "The NBA has ALWAYS only had 4-5 true contenders every year. The league has never been about parity, for god's sake the Bulls won six in the '90s and probably would've had eight straight had Jordan not temporarily retired. In the '80s, the Lakers and Celtics took turn trading championship status, and once in a blue moon you'd get the Pistons or the 76ers.
If you think it's any different now, you're lost. Same status as ever, and to be honest, all teams like the Heat and the potential "Big 3" of Carmelo, Paul, Amar'e do is bring in massive revenue because every game they play will sell out and they'll generate insane TV ratings. This is why the NBA loves the Lakers so much, because they help rake in a lot of money, and this is why they loved the Bulls in the '90s." -- SN commenter 454Brandon
“Melo is not a max contract. He is a great player, but not one of the premiere in the league. There are 4, maybe 5 players in the league that deserve the max. Kobe, LBJ, Wade, CP3, and Durant. D-Will is in that discussion. Howard is almost there.
” -- garretttlee14
“Melo is an overpaid baby. His FG% and 3PT% are both well below the league average. If I shot 50 times a game I could average 20 pts too. He is never going to be an elite player. Denver would be a better team and have more team chemistry if they did trade him
” -- goldberg1764
“Melo's not a hometown guy, not a 2 Time MVP, and hasn't taken this team to the Finals on his back. Throw out 2009 (a year in which Billups was as much a reason for their success as Melo) and we might as well be talking about T-Mac Version 2.0 here. 6 out of his 7 years 'his' teams have been thoroughly handled and bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs.
” -- IRVJOE
- Vote: Is Amare's exit the end of Steve Nash's championship hopes in Phoenix?
- Rank 'Em: Did Amare Stoudemire just ditch the NBA's best point guard?
When you're an NBA big man dependent on other people getting you the ball, can you really put a price on something like playing with one of the greatest passing point guards in league history? Well, yes, and it appears $100 million is a pretty good place to start.
That's the total the Knicks will shell out for Stoudemire, give or take a few million, when free agents are officially allowed to sign contracts later this week. It remains to be seen if signing Stoudemire will help (or hurt) lure any other big names to the Big Apple, but Steve Nash definitely won't be coming with him. And in New York parlance, that strikes some SportsNation bloggers as akin to paying $100 million for a Mario Batali restaurant and staffing it with the local McDonald's crew.
- "I think it is funny that Amare says it will give him a chance to show his leadership and lead the Knicks back to a winning team. He definitely has the offenisve skills to help the Knicks show promise but his defensive skills and rebounding prowness will hurt the Knicks from great improvement. As we all know Amare did a lot to help the Suns go to the Western Conference Finals but he did have a PG named Steve Nash. What do the Knicks have to offer? Hmm lets see I believe Chris Duhon and compared to Nash that is a joke." -- Read greg_g74_pt.2's full post.
- "Is it just me or do they not need a point guard, unless you think Duhon, Rodriguez or House are gonna fly. Wilson Chandler, well....okay. I like him, but we are going to need a lot more from him. Who is the center?? I am so curious to know what happens next? Who do the Knicks go after now? Who, if anyone, can A'mare lure here? I admit, he is an attractive piece to a puzzle, but of course, we need to see what other "pieces" to the puzzle they can fit together." -- Read Sports2571's full post.
“And all the years of the Knicks being the toilet of the league and this is the game changer? They've mortgaged their future on Elijah Price.
” -- bitter_walnut
“Stoudemire got his numbers by playing alongside and continually being fed by one of the best point guards in league history. Lee's just a gamer who isn't in it for flash or notoriety. HUGE difference. Just wait... you'll see.
” -- golamb
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