SH Blog: Knicks made Stoudemire available “for free” in the summer

With Amare Stoudemire due back any day now for the New York Knicks, there has been plenty of chatter about what his return may do for the chemistry of the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Even before the long awaited return, the issue of whether the power forward can fit in with Carmelo Anthony has constantly been questioned by the media and fans alike, with good reason. The two simply have yet to prove that they can both be highly productive on the floor together, and that has been the case since Anthony arrived back in the 2010-2011 season.

The poor spacing and production when the two share the court has been well documented, but it’s not just the offense that becomes a problem.

Although Anthony has shed the reputation of being a lazy defender this season, he’s still far from what you’d call a plus defender. Stoudemire has been known for his poor defense over the years, so add the two together and you know the recipe doesn’t add up to better defense.

[Related: Moke Hamilton explains why Stoudemire should be welcomed, not feared]

And lets not forget the presence of Tyson Chandler, who is having a career season in terms of offensive productivity with 13 points on an astounding 70.3 percent shooting from field.

It’s also worth noting that going small has caused the Knicks some problems against some of the bigger teams in the league, and the offense goes to the crapper when the outside shot – which they have made at an unsustainable clip to this point – isn’t falling. Stoudemire can certainly be the solution to some of these issues.

There’s no clear cut solution to how the Knicks can handle the return of Stoudemire, other than to simply play him and see the positives and the negatives. From there, it’s up to Mike Woodson to decide what the best role may be for the man they call “STAT”.

See more on Stoudemire, the status of Steve Nash, Andrew Bynum and much more from around the league below: