Stoudemire excited about return to Phoenix
Amar'e Stoudemire made a name for himself in Phoenix, where he'll play Friday for the first time since joining the Knicks. (May 27, 2010) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - The first time Amar'e Stoudemire played an NBA game in Phoenix, on Nov. 1, 2002, the Suns started Stephon Marbury at point guard and used Penny Hardaway as part of the second unit because they liked the way he fed the new 19-year-old phenom.
Stoudemire played 29 minutes that night, scored 10 points and shot 4-for-15 in a 78-74 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that began what Stoudemire said Thursday was a trove of "nothing but great memories" with Phoenix.
Those memories will rush back Friday night when he plays his first game in Phoenix as a former Sun. He returns as the cornerstone of the revitalized, buzz-inducing Knicks, on top of his game and on top of what clearly is a whole new world - from 2002 and even from last spring.
"It's going to be great," he said after Knicks practice Thursday. "I don't think they've got anybody on the team that can stop me. Nobody can stop us as a team, so we're going to see what we can do."
At first, he deflected talk about what a special night it will be, turning the conversation toward the usual bromides about getting a win to start the Knicks' four-game western swing. He did acknowledge that he still has family and friends in Phoenix. "So it's going to be great to hang out with those guys," he said. "It's just another one of those business trips."
But it obviously will be more. "It should be fun for him. I'm sure he's looking forward to it," said Mike D'Antoni, his coach in Phoenix and now in New York.
Stoudemire likely will be given a loud tribute from the crowd that watched him blossom into a star and stayed behind him during two knee surgeries in 2005-06, including a microfracture operation that raised questions about his career.
"I think the fans are excited to welcome me back. I think it was a great run when I was there," the power forward/center said. "Nothing but great memories of the fans in Phoenix. Tomorrow is going to be another one of those days I'll enjoy."
Privately, he might even enjoy criticism about where in heck the Suns (14-19) are headed without him. Might they even trade point guard Steve Nash? "I talk to Steve periodically throughout the season," Stoudemire said. "I really didn't understand what the future was there in Phoenix. It didn't involve me, so the best opportunity for me was in New York."
Unlike the Knicks, the Suns, wary of the microfracture six years ago, were unwilling to offer five guaranteed years. Stoudemire is convinced that they shouldn't have been so wary.
"I feel great. I played all 82 last year. If it weren't for the eye injury the year before that, I'd have played 82 that year. So I feel great," he said. "I didn't know what they thought the future was going to be once I left. I wasn't quite sure what angle they were going with it, but hey, it worked out better for myself. I feel great about my situation."
Stoudemire became instantly comfortable with New York, and vice versa.
"He started the day he signed, getting ready for the challenge," D'Antoni said.
Stoudemire explained it this way: "First of all, you've got to have the willpower to want to be successful. You can't be afraid. I think those qualities are what I've brought to the table. On top of that, we have a solid team."
He believes in change, having seen so much of it since that night in 2002 - against a Cleveland team that was on its way to finishing 17-65 and earning draft rights to another hotshot teenager.
