Amare Stoudemire started the New York Knicks moving forward, before his injuries hastened their return to the bottom.
Now he wants to look elsewhere for a chance at a championship.
The veteran forward was waived on Monday after requesting the Knicks buy out the remainder of his contract, which was set to expire after this season. He will be free to sign with another team once he clears waivers.
“His time here should be marked by recognizing his effort. It was 100 percent,” Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson said in a statement. “As we move forward in structuring this team, we will look for players that exhibit his desire to win.”
Stoudemire averaged 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 255 games over five seasons with the Knicks, making the playoffs three times.
He was a starter in the 2011 All-Star Game, the Knicks’ first in 14 years.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to contribute positively on the court and in the community. Although I leave the Knicks with a heavy heart, I wish the organization the best of luck. Once a Knick always a Knick,” Stoudemire said.
Carmelo Anthony, who wanted to play for the Knicks in part because Stoudemire had signed there in 2010, learned the news on Sunday after playing in the All-Star Game.
“Amare brought something back to New York that New York was kind of missing and needing for a long time,” Anthony said. “When he came, he brought back some of the excitement here for the game of basketball in New York. There was hope when he came back. People started believing in the New York Knicks once again. He was the main reason for that belief and for that hope when he first got here in New York.”
Stoudemire was an All-Star in Phoenix before signing a five-year contract worth about US$100 million in 2010. He helped the Knicks end a seven-year playoff drought his first season, but he missed significant time over the last few years because of assorted injuries. The Knicks had to monitor his minutes after his two knee operations during the 2012-2013 season.
He can still score when able to play, averaging 12 points in 24 minutes this season, so he may draw interest from contending teams before the regular-season schedule resumes tomorrow.
“To see him leave, to see the situation where it’s at right now, I know what he wants and you have to respect that,” Anthony said. “As an athlete, as a competitor, you only want the best for your friends, your close ones. He wants to play for a championship is what I’m hearing. He wants to play for a contender. I don’t think nobody should hold that away from him.”
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
RSS