The decision to hand Amar'e Stoudemire nearly $100 million may be a risk, but the Knicks see it as a bold move to demonstrate to both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade that they are committed to building a championship contender right now.
With Stoudemire agreeing to a five-year, $100 million contract Monday, Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni remain confident the club can still add either James or Wade, the two biggest free agents in the 2010 class.
"The Knicks are back," Stoudemire declared Monday. "No one wanted to make the first move and I feel confident enough to take that first step and hopefully now we can bring a few guys in to join me."
The Knicks would gladly settle for either James or Wade, two players who most league executives believe will re-sign with their previous teams, the Cavs and Heat, respectively. The Knicks are being discounted, but according to a team official, Wade has become the Knicks' primary focus in recent days because the club feels he may be willing to leave Miami.
Wade is said to be contemplating one of two moves: returning to Miami or signing with his hometown Chicago Bulls, where his former wife and two sons reside. Family issues aside, the Knicks made a strong pitch to Wade, the same one they made to James, which is that Wade can more than make up for the $30 million he'd miss out on by not re-signing with the Heat. The Knicks have even told Wade that they would pursue one of his friends, Heat free agent forward Udonis Haslem, if Wade agreed to sign with them.
The source did not deny that the Knicks' motive for making a strong push for Wade may be Walsh's way of trying to make James think twice about potentially returning to the Cavs.
"If you had Kobe (Bryant) in Los Angeles and Wade in New York, where does that leave LeBron ... in Cleveland?" the source said. "But the Knicks are not waiting. They're trying to get a commitment out of Wade."
With both James and Wade expected to announce their decisions by the end of the week, the Knicks are running out of time but not ideas to make one final pitch.
It's hard to imagine that if Wade doesn't return to Miami, he would elect to sign anywhere else but his hometown. But the Knicks are hoping he'll take a chance on New York, with Stoudemire in place as well as marketing opportunities and the team's financial flexibility to sign more players.
It has been reported that both James and Wade would like to have Chris Bosh as a teammate and in fact the Knicks did meet with Bosh last week in Chicago. But once the Knicks got a commitment from Stoudemire, they were ready to move on.
The five-time All-Star made his official visit to the Garden Monday and the Knicks turned his trip into a rehearsal for his press conference. Stoudemire wore a Knicks cap as he spoke to reporters against a backdrop of a large poster that read "STAT City," which is an acronym for how Stoudemire refers to himself: Standing Tall And Talented."
Garden chairman James Dolan and all the organization's top officials were there along with Walsh and D'Antoni. Former players Larry Johnson, Allan Houston and John Starks were also in attendance. Even Spike Lee was there.
Outside on the MSG marquee, the sign read: "Welcome Amar'e Stoudemire." The team even Photoshopped a picture of Stoudemire wearing a Knicks No. 1 uniform.
"I feel great about being a pioneer and showing my leadership," said Stoudemire, whose deal doesn't become official until Thursday.
Stoudemire's signing likely means the end of David Lee's Knicks career, although D'Antoni said, with a straight face, that Lee and Stoudemire can play together. In all likelihood, Lee will be used in a sign-and-trade, possibly with Golden State.
The Knicks will look vastly different next season, even if they don't land James or Wade. Stoudemire, for better or worse, could turn out to be their biggest summer pickup and STAT claims he's ready for the challenge.
"Totally comfortable," he said. "Totally confident that my leadership qualities will uplift all of us to do something great this upcoming season."
Source: www.nydailynews.com
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