New State of Mind - Knicks Think Stoudemire is Francise Player

The Good
After years of hanging larger than life posters of mere mortals outside Madison Square Garden, the Knicks finally have a player worthy of being a pin-up. Amar'e Stoudemire's numbers aren't much better than current Knick David Lee's, but his star quality sure is. On the court, the man is a freak. 6-10 and 245 lbs. of sheer muscle. He's averaged 21 points and 9 boards a game during his 8 year career. He is a former rookie of the year and an 8-time all star. Men will love to watch him, women will love to look at him. Off the court, he's a saint, we think. He won the NBA's Assist Award in 2008 and is heavily involved in charity work. Even the tabloids will be happy. Stoudemire is tied to BET star Aleesha Renee. He will put fans in the stands and soak up the spotlight. There is reason for even the most pessimistic Knicks fan to have a new state of mind.

The Bad
The Knicks gutted their roster over the last several years in hopes of landing Lebron James and rebuilding around the league MVP. So far, the courting of the King is not going quite as planned. NY seems to be falling behind both Cleveland and Chicago in the race for the ace. If the Knicks can't land James or another star to help Stoudemire carry the load, expect New York to fall short of the playoffs for the 10th straight year. If history is any indication, Amar'e isn't capable of carrying an entire franchise on his back. The man has yet to make it to the Finals and he had far superior talent around him in Phoenix.

The Ugly
New York is reportedly shelling out $99.7 million for Stoudemire. Building your franchise around a center piece that has brittle knees is a recipe for disaster. Amar'e surprised most of us by bouncing back so effectively from his 2005 microfracture surgery, but one would think he's bound to slow down in the next couple of seasons. When he does slow down, statistics suggest his game will too. Nearly half of his field goals last season came via the pick and roll or cutting to the hoop. He simply is not a back to the basket scorer or a guy you can throw the ball to in the half court and expect a bucket. He shot just 48% and scored less than a point per possesion on isolation plays last season. When he posted up, he turned the ball over more than 14% of the time. Stoudemire lives off his quickness, strength and ability to finish at the rim. Steve Nash excelled at getting STAT the ball where he could take advantage of those strengths. The two were nearly unstoppable while running the high pick and roll and Nash is a classic drive and dish point. Toney Douglas is not. Good luck getting easy looks at the rim feeding off a guy that averaged a whopping 2 assists in 20 minutes last season. If you are one of the Steve Nash haters, consider this... What happened to the careers of Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Quentin Richardson or Raja Ball after they left the Canadian creator? Enough said. Rumors are circulating that the Knicks are eyeing Tony Parker. They better. Parker doesn't have the vision, creativity or unselfishness of Nash, but he is more of a classic point than Douglas and would help take some of the pressure off of STAT. Stoudemire is far from a dominant rebounder, he's a below average defender and he's not exactly best buds with Knicks head coach and former Suns boss Mike D'Antoni.

Is there reason to have a new state of mind in New York? Yes, but let's not get crazy. Stoudemire needs a running mate at the point and some help up front before the Knicks can even think about the playoffs.