Stoudemire signed a veteran-minimum deal with the Heat after finishing his 2014-15 campaign with the Mavericks. The six-time All-Star is currently on the tail end of his NBA career, as a variety of injuries have limited his effectiveness for the past couple of seasons. Playing for both New York and Dallas last season, Stoudemire posted averages of 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20 minutes over the course of 59 total games with both clubs. Now, as he enters his 14th NBA season, the biggest question mark surrounding Stoudemire is his health, as he has not played in 70 or more games since the 2010-11 season. However, the limited reserve role Stoudemire is likely to play in Miami should not only keep him healthy but also allow him to remain effective. While Stoudemire is not as explosive on the floor as he once was, he still remains a solid interior scorer, as he has shot over 50 percent from the field in nine of his last 10 seasons, and he remains a good rebounder. He won't be expected to contribute much in other areas, but his time on the floor could be limited regardless, as he will be fighting with Chris Andersen for time in the frontcourt off the bench.
Finally entering the final season of the five-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Knicks back in 2010, Stoudemire is sadly a shadow of his former self, as his career-low numbers of 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks from last season indicate. Recurring injuries have hampered the 31-year-old over recent years, forcing the Knicks to keep him on a minutes count. Last season, Stoudemire appeared in 65 games, including 21 starts, but played only 23 minutes per night, the fewest of his 12-year career. Despite a mere 3.1 free-throw attempts per game pointing toward Stoudemire's diminishing explosiveness, he remains a pretty efficient offensive player, as his 56-percent shooting last season suggests, This season, the former All-Star should enjoy playing in new coach Derek Fisher's Triangle offense, where Stoudemire's patented mid-range face-up jumper should once again be on display. In fact, Stoudemire is a strong candidate to start considering the Knicks' other frontcourt options include Andrea Bargnani, Samuel Dalembert, and Jason Smith. Nonetheless, his playing time is expected to be carefully managed throughout the season to preserve his body for the long haul. Once a fantasy star, Stoudemire is now at best a sound role player that should probably only be rostered in deeper league formats.
Stoudemire figures to be the primary backup at center this season, but he will also see some playing time at power forward. Stoudemire has been decimated by injuries of late and hasn't been able to stay on the court for the Knicks. With his starting days behind him, his days of being an excellent fantasy option appear to be gone as well.
Stoudemire missed significant time last season due to a variety of reasons including a back injury--raise the caution flags now--and was limited to 47 games. In addition to the limiting effects of injuries, Stoudemire experienced a drop off in production because of the addition of Carmelo Anthony. Stoudemire averaged five shots less per game and saw his field-goal percentage drop to 48.3--his second straight season of reduced accuracy. So, playing without Steve Nash has had a predictable impact, as has playing with a noted black hole like Anthony. The mid-season coaching change from Mike D’Antoni to Mike Woodson seemed to help Stoudemire. In the final two months of the season, he shot 56.3 percent from the field and stopped trying to take absurd three-point shots. Stoudemire is the latest NBA star to seek Hakeem Olajuwan’s help in learning how to be more effective in the low post. He trained with Olajuwan this summer. He clearly will remain second fiddle to Anthony. Even though he’s no longer the first option on offense, Stoudemire is a productive player. He appears to be buying into Woodson’s desire to make him a low-post player. It will be interesting to see how playing closer to the basket helps Stoudemire’s numbers. The biggest worry with him working more in the post is the extra punishment he’ll be taking in the post. That could put his back in danger of suffering more damage.
The Knicks received some flack for giving Stoudemire a five-year, $100-million dollar contract prior to the 2010-11 season, but STAT quickly made all doubters look foolish. Stoudemire cemented himself as a legit MVP-candidate early in the season, and finished sixth in the league in scoring with an average of 25.3 points per game. While Stoudemire continued to score at an elite level his efficiency dropped during his first season in six years without Steve Nash feeding him the rock. A career 53.7-percent shooter from the floor, Stoudemire dropped to 50.2 percent last year. His turnovers also took a big hit without Nash creating plays for him, as Stoudemire averaged a career-worst 3.2 per game. His rebounding (8.2 rpg) remained subpar for such a talented big man, but owners should be accustomed to that area of mediocrity, as it was Stoudemire’s third consecutive season with less than nine boards per contest. He still managed to be one of the more efficient free-throw shooting big men, though, sinking 79.2 percent of his freebies. And despite not being known for his defensive prowess, Stoudemire managed to rack up 1.9 blocks and 0.9 steals per contest. He’ll once again be one of the better scoring big men in the Association, and paired with Carmelo Anthony, Stoudemire will make up one of the league’s more electrifying duos.
In leaving Phoenix for a long-term deal with the Knicks, Stoudemire is separated from the pick-and-roll partner that made him an NBA star. Leaving Steve Nash didn't do much for Shawn Marion's career, or Boris Diaw's. But things should be different for the man they call STAT; he won't have Nash, but he will have Mike D'Antoni calling the plays, and D'Antoni's "seven seconds or less" offensive philosophy should help Stoudemire continue to rack up big numbers even as he downgrades from Steve Nash to Raymond Felton leading the break. Stoudemire's medical history might scare off some fantasy owners and kept him from playing with Team USA at this summer's World Championships – but he got through last season without missing a single game, so his history shouldn't be that big a concern. Fantasy owners – and his new employers – would love to see more rebounds from Stoudemire; his 8.9 boards per game last season ranked just 17th in the league, in seven NBA seasons he's never averaged double figures in boards, and aside from a 2.1 block per game average back in 2007-08, he's never been a big factor in that category. But he will get to the line – 7.7 attempts last season – and hit his freebies at a highly respectable rate (over 77 percent last season)
Stoudemire was one of the bigger disappointments of the 2008-09 fantasy year, missing the final 29 games of the season with a detached retina. The injury was so serious Stoudemire was forced to lie face down for 22 hours per day over a 10-day stretch during the offseason. He’s supposed to be fully recovered for the start of the year, but he’ll have to wear goggles for the rest of his career. Even before the injury, Stoudemire failed to live up to expectations, as his scoring dropped by nearly four points per game and his blocks dropped from 2.1 to 1.1. Still, few players who are eligible at center (in some formats) shoot free throws so well (83.5% last year) and at that quantity (7.3 FT attempts). Although his rebounding numbers have dropped each of the past two years, his assists have steadily increased over that time, and with Shaquille O’Neal gone, expect Stoudemire to crash the glass in 2009-10. Stoudemire will never have the explosiveness he once exhibited thanks to the knee surgeries, but he’s still just 26 years old, and he should thrive now that Phoenix has switched back to an up-tempo offense. Realize, however, that Stoudemire is a candidate to be traded, which could affect his value.
Stoudemire is a new-jack big man, merging the quickness and explosiveness of a swingman with the power of center. This incredible combination makes him almost unguardable on the court, which is why he’s always among the league-leaders in scoring among big men (25.2 ppg). Playing next to a point guard like Steve Nash leads to many easy dunk opportunities, but Stoudemire also has a quick first step and a deadly jumper out to 17 feet which makes him one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA (career-high 59.0% FG, 80.5% FT). Stoudemire moved from center to his natural power forward position when the Suns traded for Shaquille O’Neal last season which takes away a few of his rebounding opportunities, but Stoudemire still makes decent contributions on the glass (9.1 rpg) and on defense (2.39 combined steals/blocks per). And with O’Neal present to take the attention of opponents’ interior defense, Stoudemire exploded to average almost 29 ppg after the All-Star break last season. This bodes well for his chances to dominate the scoring and shooting-percentage categories again this year.
Stoudemire is a new-jack center, merging the quickness and explosiveness of a swingman with the power of an old-school pivot. This incredible combination of skills makes him almost unguardable, which is why he is always among the league-leaders in scoring among big men (20.4 ppg). Playing next to a point guard like Steve Nash leads to quite a few easy dunk opportunities for Stoudemire, and that certainly doesn’t hurt the field goal percentage (career-high 57.5%). The presence of Shawn Marion probably takes away a few of his rebounding opportunities, but Stoudemire still makes decent contributions on the glass (career-high 9.6 rpg) and on defense as well (2.3 combined steals/blocks per). Last season he showed that his knees were fully recovered from microfracture and arthroscopic surgeries, respectively, which means that this season Stoudemire should be one of the first centers off the board on draft night.
The big question with Stoudemire is the health of his knee. Stoudemire had microfracture surgery in October of 2005, made a brief appearance on the Suns last March before having to shut it down and eventually get the knee scoped in April. He made a cameo appearance for Phoenix’s summer league team in Las Vegas in July, so we know he can run, but summer leagues are just workouts. The NBA will be the test. His athleticism and quickness make him perfect for the Suns’ running game. He can muscle up with bigger defenders and has a full offensive repertoire. He can hit a mid-range jumper or put the ball on the floor and blow by a defender with his quick first step. Stoudemire is far from out of the woods yet with this injury, but he’s got youth on his side, and if he is even close to 100 percent, he could easily be a top-10 fantasy producer with center eligibility.
Stoudemire’s play last year dismissed concerns about him making a living at center. He started 77 games for the Suns in the low post and is expected to begin the 2005-06 season in the same role. Phoenix traded for Kurt Thomas to play power forward, so Stoudemire will not be the only one mixing it up under the basket for rebounds. Stoudemire can score at will, shoots a very high percentage and blocks more than a shot and a half per game. His nine boards per game are also nice, but one would expect more from a player this gifted. The loss of Joe Johnson and Quinton Richardson opens up more shots for Stoudemire. And let’s not forget to mention that he works with one of the game’s finer point guards in Steve Nash.
A quick look at Amare Stoudemire's stats from 2003 shows another stud Western Conference power forward... a guy you can count on for 20-and-10, a clear first-round fantasy talent. Look just a little bit closer. Stoudemire started very slowly, and fought a number of nagging injuries all season. At the end of the year, he was a monster, regularly posting 25-plus points. In the season's last three games: 29 points, 29 points, and 29 points. And he doesn't hit his 22nd birthday until November. He's not as consistent as an Elton Brand, but the upside is tremendous.
Stoudemire is an amazing athlete with the skills to rebound (8.7 RPG in 2003), block shots (1 block a game) and score at an NBA level (13.4 points per game). He is an aggressive dunker and a solid finisher.
