The Knicks have another long summer ahead of them. Their first-round playoff exit to the Miami Heat was characterized by the immaturity of Amar’e Stoudemire. His on- and off-court frustrations boiled over, culminating in a foul out last night and the disrespect he showed to his opponents.
Stoudemire suffered through a bad season in New York this year. He’s got a max contract but played like a second fiddle. He failed to average 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie year, and his field-goal percentage dipped below 50 for the first time since his sophomore campaign. He failed to gel with Carmelo Anthony’s isolation game and often looked lost on offense.
The Knicks go into the off-season with a lot of questions. What if Jeremy Lin can give the Knicks consistency from the point-guard position? What if Mike Woodson is retained and gives the Knicks an identity as a hard-nosed defensive team? What if Anthony and Stoudemire can learn from Tyson Chandler and subordinate their personal performance to the good of the team? What if management can surround their stars with complementary players and the team can achieve their potential?
A year and a half into the Anthony–Stoudemire pairing, the two have brought the Knicks into mediocrity — good enough to reach the playoffs but still completely unprepared to compete with the best teams. Another full season should bring more clarity to the Knicks, but will it bring more wins?
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