Stoudemire, Knicks Getting Close to Agreement?

On the heels of the news that Amare Stoudemire would almost certainly not return to the Phoenix Suns next year, there are reports today that the Knicks and Stoudemire have the "framework" in place for a 5 year, $100 million deal.

Sources, however, have pushed the point that the deal is NOT finalized and both the team and the player have not yet committed 100%.

If the Knicks and Stoudemire do agree to complete this deal before finding out what LeBron, Wade and Bosh are planning, should it be considered a surprise? Is it indicative of their progress negotiating with other players, like LeBron?

Well, my first reaction was that I am just happy the Knicks have been this aggressive and are not looking to wait solely on LeBron. If they do that, they will lose out on other players who could be signed now with an aggressive approach from the front office. Obviously Stoudemire is not the prize of all prizes in free agency, but, when comparing him to Chris Bosh, the supposed #1 Power Forward in Free Agency, he stacks up pretty well. Besides the fact that Stoudemire is two years older at 28 and has had microfracture surgery on his knee, which, granted, cannot be overlooked, he has played in more playoff games (52-11), averaged more points in his career (21.4-20.2), more blocks (1.4-1.2), and has had a higher field goal percentage (54.4%-49.2%) than Bosh. Finally, Stoudemire is also very familiar with D'Antoni's system, and there is no guarantee that Bosh's game would fit the system well, since he has been a half-court player offensively during his career.

The other aim of signing Stoudemire this early would be to use him has a recruiting tool, considering they do not have any players that would be able to do that on the current roster. Now would Stoudemire be able to convince LeBron or Wade to come to New York? Although it would seem unlikely to work, Stoudemire putting in a recruiting pitch for the Knicks could only improve their already dire chances at scoring either top player. Plus, Stoudemire, unlike Bosh or Boozer, would not just be telling LeBron to come to New York simply because they are there. Instead, Stoudemire could actually sell D'Antoni and his system, which might be the only chip, in terms of basketball, that the Knicks have.

Therefore, in final, if the Knicks and Amare agree to a contract before others sign, it will be a calculated risk by both parties, but it will be a risk that at least the Knicks should be taking.