Amar’e Stoudemire’s “Not Sure” Why He’s Coming Off The Bench, So We’ll Tell Him

The former all-star, Taylor Swift chum and sommelier-in-training, Amar’e Stoudemire, is listed as the New York Knicks’ backup center on the eve of their opener tomorrow night against Chicago. When the New York Post caught up with Stoudemire, and coach Derek Fisher, Amar’e couldn’t make sense of his bench role after Andrea Bargnani went down with an injury in preseason.

“I’m not sure,” Stoudemire told the New York Post‘s Marc Berman when he was asked about coming off the bench. “I need to find out as well as you are.”

STAT is now their sixth man when the Knicks open up the 2014-15 campaign against the Bulls on Wednesday night. When Berman turned his query to coach Fisher, the former Laker and Thunder guard spouted the usual catch phrases about strengthening the bench.

“It’s not really about Amar’e next to Sam,” Fisher said, “but trying to fit in a five-man unit and how does that make our bench look depending on who starts and who doesn’t. We don’t want to have a vastly different impact based on starters and bench guys.”

It’s not like Stoudemire is all broken up by the decision, either. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win.

“I take the game very serious whether starting or coming off the bench,’’ Stoudemire said. “Whatever’s best for the team, so be it. If not, we’ll figure something out.”

Selflessness has been an oft-repeated theme for this Knicks over the summer with everyone clamoring all over each other to see whose personality best fits with the equal-opportunity triple-post offense.

“Whatever the situation is, I’m learning three different positions — power forward, center and the perimeter player,’’ Stoudemire said. “So it’s very versatile on my end, a versatile weapon we have, ready to utilize my skill wherever, starting or sixth man.’’

That’s the right attitude to take (JR Smith should take notes), and we applaud Stoudemire for keeping his ego in check even though he’s making a team-high $23.411 million this season in the last year of his contract. Still, many fans might wonder why their costly power forward isn’t getting the nod over the current starter at center — where STAT is presently listed — Samuel Dalembert and the starting power forward, Jason Smith. Neither name is likely to make opponent’s tremble at the thought of defending them in the post.

Then again, neither does Stoudemire anymore. Though he played well while starting 21 games last season — averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and shooting 57.5 percent from the floor while the Knicks went 14-7 — he also had Tyson Chandler for 18 of those final 20 games, one of the best defensive centers in the league.

STAT can still get buckets and his mid-range jumper is one of the best in the Association for a player his size. He understands where to find little crevices in the paint to grab an offensive rebound or back-cut for a dunk. He has some post moves, and has shown an ability to come off a screen for a jumper.

But man, he just doesn’t know how to defend, either as a single entity or as a rotating member of New York’s team defense. If both Bargnani and Stoudemire were to be on the court at the same time, it would turn into a series of Mikan drills for those frontcourt players lucky enough to share the hardwood with the two defensive duds.

We’re guessing Fisher is getting STAT acculturated to a bench role for when Bargnani comes back to fill the starting PF slot. He’s bringing STAT off the bench as an under-sized center before he comes back (some time after their Nov. 4 game against the Wizards). This way, Fisher has either Smith or Dalembert to pick up the slack left by Bargnani or STAT’s defense.

We love Amar’e Stoudemire and we still think he was the NBA’s first-half MVP in his first season in New York. But his knees are beyond creaky — they’re basically just angular bones that barely fit together at this point — and he still hasn’t figured out to play smart defense. It’s always been his curse, but now it means he’ll be coming in cold.

Should Amar’e start in place of Smith, at least until Bargnani returns?

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