Amar'e Stoudemire Entering Turning Point of NBA Career

For the New York Knicks, this season is really all about next season. With several contracts coming off the books this summer, they'll finally have a chance to reset and build a team that fits president Phil Jackson's mold.

But for Amar'e Stoudemire—the most expensive of those expiring contracts—the 2014-15 campaign could be his most important yet.

In the final season of a mammoth five-year, $100 million deal New York presented him in July 2010, Stoudemire is the Knicks' highest-paid player, while only Kobe Bryant will earn a greater salary this season, per ESPN.com. After a Knicks tenure filled with injuries, surgeries, minutes restrictions and a tremendous falling from grace, STAT's income has become one of the biggest punch lines in the league.

Though he's no longer the player ESPN dubbed 13th-best in the NBA three years ago, there's still a chance for Amar'e to reappear next season with a new team, in a new role—maybe even as a starter. But it's all contingent on his performance with a team that's counting the days to his departure.

To fully understand what Stoudemire brings to the table now, it's important to recall what exactly he was in his prime. Even mid-20s Amar'e had severe deficiencies when it came to defending and moving the ball on offense. But during his prime with the Phoenix Suns, Stoudemire was one of the most devastating scorers in the league.

And though those days are long gone, when he's on the floor today, he's still capable of reminding us—every so often—of the Amar'e Stoudemire that used to be.

These glimpses aren't particularly common, but regardless of how pretty it's looked over the last two years, Stoudemire has managed to keep his efficiency up as a scorer.

Since being reinvented as a role player during the 2012-13 season, he's posted true shooting percentages of .637 (tied for the second-highest mark of his career) and .596, respectively, per Basketball-Reference, which ranked in the top four on the Knicks in both years. He's posted the second-highest efficiency rating on the team among rotation players in both seasons as well, coming in at 22.1 and 18.8.

Also to his credit, the scoring has come in a variety of ways—including methods he wasn't particularly accustomed to previously.

During his extended time away from live action during the 2012-13 season, the Mike Woodson regime apparently made it a point to Stoudemire to get on the block and score with his back to the basket. This differed from his previously dominant face-up game, when he was able to explode past defenders with one dribble—something he's no longer capable of on a regular basis.

But a slower, more methodical approach is what the team recommended, and it paid off.

According to Synergy Sports (now defunct), Stoudemire posted up on just 12 percent of his offensive plays in 2010-11 under Mike D'Antoni. Last year under Woodson, 32 percent of his plays were post-ups—which was actually down from 36 percent in 2012-13.

Season	% of total plays that were post-ups	Points per play
2010-11	12%	1.08
2011-12	10.4%	0.77
2012-13	35.9%	0.92
2013-14	31.8%	0.91

Which leads us into this season. Stoudemire will now be attempting to fit into his third distinct offensive system with New York. And though he has experience as a back-to-the-basket scorer now—which is important from a big in the triangle—questions regarding his decision-making and playmaking remain when considering his potential in the system.

But STAT hasn't seemed worried in the slightest. "With the triangle offense, it's probably the best situation for all of us," Stoudemire said to the New York Post's Marc Berman over the offseason. "We get a good system we can run and stay consistent on. I've adjusted to any system I've played in. It won't be a problem."

Mike Groll/Associated Press

He'll be 32 by mid-November, and as he approaches the 30,000-minute mark, it's important to remember that he could already be in the waning years of his career. But with an impressive showing in Derek Fisher's triangle, the mastering of yet another system at this stage could be an admirable trait to teams on the lookout for inexpensive scoring next summer.

When he's at his best, it's pretty clear there's a role for Stoudemire across the league somewhere. A contending roster with sufficient defenders inside, but in need of a scoring boost off the bench, seems like a situation in which he could thrive at this point in his career.

But after a pulled back muscle requiring six months of rehab, a bulging disk that was repaired non-surgically, two knee debridement procedures and another "secret" knee surgery before last season that was reported by the New York Daily News' Frank Isola, one has to wonder how much more physical abuse Stoudemire can take. At this point, just one more ailment could derail the forward's comeback hopes for good.

The long-term solution to extending his career involves regular rest and sporadic games off, but extended periods away from game action brought about visible struggles and adjustment periods that had a terrible effect on the team's offense last year. Stoudemire may have actually played his best when Woodson, out of desperation, threw him into the starting lineup over the last 20 games, when he averaged 28 minutes a night.

What this season is about for Stoudemire is proving there's any kind of worth left. If he can show signs of life as a secondary scoring option, he'll likely garner a handful of calls from suitors this summer in the process. But all it takes is one injury or one extended stretch of poor play to end a career that once seemed destined for greatness.