Amar'e: Primary attention is winning

CLEVELAND - Amar'e Stoudemire was so annoyed that Carmelo Anthony had more shots and more points than he did in Wednesday's debut of Knicks 2.0 that he hosted a party afterward to celebrate the arrival of his new teammates.

Stoudemire said that game, in which the Garden fans roared for Anthony and Chauncey Billups, "was mainly for Carmelo and Chauncey, for them to have a great game and for us to win. That's how it played out.''

Stoudemire, who still heard his usual "MVP'' chants from the fans, added, "The only main stat is the Ws. If we keep winning, then we're going to be in good shape.''

They didn't win Friday night, though, as the Cavaliers beat them, 115-109, despite 31 points from Stoudemire, 27 from Anthony and 26 from Billups.

Are the Knicks good enough, and deep enough, to win enough and suppress potential battles over shots and, of course, attention?

At Thursday's practice, Anthony once again was surrounded by a horde of media that usually met Stoudemire on a daily basis. As Anthony talked, Stoudemire slipped into the locker room unnoticed and, oddly, unwanted.

"I think as a coach you have to worry about everything,'' Mike D'Antoni said of Stoudemire being overshadowed by Anthony. "You just have to keep talking and keep making sure that's not the case. He knows that what he's done to start this process, nobody can replace that, and he's going to be a big part, obviously, of whatever success we have . . . I think he's fine. But again, it's still about talking and making sure that he gets his game going, and that'll be up to Chauncey and I.''

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Anthony, who has talked with Stoudemire since the summer about teaming in New York, called him Monday night after the trade was agreed upon to discuss everything from where to live to how the two will make it work. He said he won't let Stoudemire feel overshadowed.

"I think Amar'e, as a player, he wanted this situation,'' Anthony said. "He's excited about this situation. And his style of play, it's catered to having somebody else on the weak side, when he can get the floor opened up for him.''

Stoudemire doesn't seem concerned. For two-thirds of the season, he was the king, but the crown got heavier and heavier. As the lone star, he enjoyed all the attention of the fans, but with that comes the attention of opposing defenses.

What he's searching for isn't just recognition, it's a ring. And the more talent around him, the better chance he has to win one. "All the individual accolades, All-Star and things like that, that I've accomplished, it's not possible without the team,'' he said.

D'Antoni concurred. "He's done everything but win a championship, and Carmelo the same thing,'' he said. "I told them, they are who they are. Now, can we get to that other level to be champions? That's up to you guys.''