100-million-dollar man Amar'e Stoudemire is set to return Friday when the New York Knicks take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Thursday night, Stoudemire released a video through his YouTube channel, STAT TV, and had this to say,
"Absolutely, I'll be back before the playoffs," Stoudemire said.
The Knicks have played great basketball despite missing their star forward and have won 9 out of 13.
Carmelo Anthony has been playing at an MVP level in Amar'e's absence and has averaged 32 points and shot 51% from the field for the month of April. 'Melo filled in at power forward in place of the injured Stoudemire.
As a result of the Knicks' sudden chemistry and success, many question if the Knicks are better off without Stoudemire moving forward, but that's all nonsense to Carmelo.
After the team's win in New Jersey on Wednesday night, Melo said,
"That's another body that we're missing that we definitely can use," Anthony said. "Another rebounder, another guy we can go to; we don't have to rely on me every night. So I'm looking forward to having Amar'e back."
Amar'e's return means that Melo can return to his natural small forward position and the Knicks will have another scoring threat. Stoudemire is excited to return and ready to contribute to the team as a starter.
"Carmelo's been playing great basketball. Iman Shumpert's playing great defensively. Tyson Chandler's having a phenomenal season so far.... So, collectively, we're playing total team basketball, which is fun to be a part of," Stoudemire said in the video.
What do you think? Will Amar'e hurt the Knicks' chemistry, or will his addition make them better?
Source: espn.go.com
