Mavericks' Free Agent Target Analysis: Amar'e Stoudemire
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
So we’re sticking with the theme of recent Dallas Mavericks today as we take a look at Amar’e Stoudemire. There seems to be mutual interest between Amar’e and the Mavs, but it really all depends on the amount of money that Stoudemire is looking for. That being said, let’s dive deeper into the idea of a return of Amar’e Stoudemire:
Career History:
Amar’e started his career straight out of high school with the Phoenix Suns. He was taken 9th in the 2002 draft and played for eight seasons with the team before signing with the New York Knicks in 2010. Stoudemire suffered all kinds of knee issues and even had micro fracture surgery (the same surgery Chandler Parsons underwent). Amar’e earned himself the nickname “STAT”: Standing Tall and Talented, based off of his 6’11 height and incredible skill on the court. Even with knee surgery and constant pain, Stoudemire played at an elite level. STAT has averaged double-digit points in every season since his surgery. Before the 2014 All-Star break, the Knicks, who are looking to go younger, bought out Amar’e’s $99.7 million dollar contract, freeing him up to sign with Dallas. The Mavs and Stoudemire agreed on a veteran minimum contract, making him the number two center, behind Tyson Chandler, on the team. Stoudemire had a limited role with the Mavericks, but his production was incredible. So is he worth bringing back? Let’s put STAT under the microscope:
PROS AND CONS OF AMAR’E:
Pros:
• Size and strength. Something that never hurts a team is having another big man. Standing 6 feet 11 inches, Stoudemire can play the center position or power forward position. Carlisle mainly kept him as Tyson’s backup, even though I was dying to see Chandler at the five and STAT at the four at some point. Using his brute strength and long stature, Stoudemire is a dominant post player, something the Mavericks have always lacked. Dirk has a post-up game, but his post ups almost always lead to the patented fadeaway. Amar’e, on the other hand, posts up to go strong to the basket. Whenever you saw Stoudemire’s back to the basket, you knew something good was coming out of it.
• Explosiveness. Even though STAT is 32 years old with knee problems, he still has some pretty incredible plays. In just his first game with the Mavericks, he had three rim-shaking dunks (2 posters and an alley-oop). This explosiveness brings energy to the arena and gets the rest of the team ready to go. Everyone loves to watch a big man get up.
• Low asking price and mutual interest. Amar’e said it himself in his exit interview: “Money is great to have, but it’s not what I’m searching for at this point.” Another thing Stoudemire mentioned in his interview was his comfort level in Dallas: “Dallas is a place where I feel comfortable here. I have a chance to have great success here with this franchise.” Dallas can’t and won’t offer Amar’e the most money of any team, but they could offer an incredible winning situation, depending on what they decide to do this summer.
Cons:
• Age and durability. Although Stoudemire has played well since his surgery, his knees remain an issue. Amar’e only played 59 games this past season (23 with Dallas) and he is only getting older. Stoudemire is 32 years old, which does not sound too bad, but throw in the bad knees and 12 years in the league, then we have a problem.
• Defense, defense, defense. As strong as Stoudemire is in the offensive post, he is just as weak in the defensive post. It’s hard to believe that a 6’11, 240 pound beast can be so useless on defense in the post. It’s not that Amar’e can’t play defense, because I have watched him get up and block shots into the third row, but his problem is that he won’t play defense. Amar’e just seems to lose interest when the ball isn’t in his team’s hands.
• Crashing the glass. For his career, Amar’e averages about 8 boards a game. A very good number. But as his knees have grown weaker, so has his rebounding game. It’s not necessarily a weakness of Stoudemire’s, but it isn’t as good as it should be. If he’s locked in on grabbing the rebound, he can get a double-double, but if he starts to lose interest (like on defense), then it can get ugly.
Now, what’s the verdict on Amar’e? To me it’s all just a waiting game. If the Mavs fail to sign a younger big man to come off the bench (hint hint) then STAT should be the next choice. If Amar’e means what he says and the money doesn’t matter to him, then Dallas should be more than willing to give him another minimum contract. I’m not so sure that Stoudemire should get anymore than a couple million based on what the Mavericks look to be doing this offseason, but the minimum would be more perfectly okay with me. With the Mavericks’ A1 training staff and a motivated Stoudemire, they could both benefit from another year of play.
There’s one more former Maverick we HAVE to look at before we get into the other big name free agents out there this summer. Check back soon to see whom I’m talking about. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think we should do with Amar’e this summer.
