For the first time in his career, Stoudemire is a man without a clear mission.

Where does a 30-year-old former All-Star with suspect knees, an albatross contract and a redundant skill set fit on a talent-rich, title-contending team? Does he fit at all? Can a prideful star who calls himself Stat find happiness as a role player? A bench player? A drifting satellite in Carmelo Anthony’s orbit? Is Stoudemire still essential to the Knicks’ cause?

These questions once might have sounded insane.

Two years ago, Stoudemire practically saved the franchise with his signature and a four-word proclamation: “The Knicks are back.” Even 12 months ago, he was considered a vital, if unwieldy, co-star with Anthony.

But the landscape has changed radically at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks have transformed, seemingly overnight, into the Eastern Conference’s dominant team, rolling to a 19-6 record.

They are thriving with Anthony as their undisputed centerpiece, with Tyson Chandler dunking and defending, with Jason Kidd orchestrating, with Steve Novak shooting and with J. R. Smith just being J. R. Smith.

They are talented, deep and cohesive, every role well defined.

It is hard to see where an offense-minded, past-his-prime power forward fits into this gloriously reimagined Knicks universe, but these are the issues that Coach Mike Woodson must confront as Stoudemire nears his return from knee surgery.

Woodson has demurred on the topic. Stoudemire has given boilerplate “whatever it takes to win” responses, as he must.

Yet the Knicks have already moved on in so many ways, both on and off the court.

This past summer, the Knicks offered Stoudemire to nearly every team in the league — “available for free,” as one rival executive put it. But they found no takers because of his diminished production, his health and his contract, which has three years and $65 million remaining (counting this season) and which is uninsured against a career-ending knee injury.

In February, the Knicks wanted to send Stoudemire to Toronto in a deal for Andrea Bargnani, a person briefed on the discussion said. But the proposal was vetoed by James L. Dolan, the Garden chairman, before it ever reached the Raptors (who would not have made the deal anyway, team officials there said).

Before that, the Knicks tried to package Stoudemire and Chandler in a bid to land Dwight Howard.

The implication is clear: for all his scoring prowess and star power, Stoudemire is no longer viewed as a critical piece. The reasons are obvious, too.

The Knicks have been inept with Anthony and Stoudemire in the lineup, going 30-36 over parts of two seasons and 1-7 in the playoffs. Advanced metrics show the Knicks are demonstrably worse — both offensively and defensively — when the two share the court.

Optimists contend that with Kidd and Raymond Felton running the offense, the Anthony-Stoudemire experiment could be saved. The repeated attempts to dump Stoudemire suggest that team officials do not share that confidence.

The Knicks have a functional issue here. Several, in fact.

Anthony is now the face of the franchise and the No. 1 option on the floor. He is playing brilliantly at power forward — Stoudemire’s position — using his quickness to beat bigger defenders. If Stoudemire starts, it will push Anthony to small forward, blunt some of his effectiveness and create the same awkward logjam the Knicks had before, with two stars competing for touches.

In his prime, Stoudemire was the N.B.A.’s most lethal finisher in the pick-and-roll. But that role has been usurped, too, by Chandler, who is taller and longer, with a bigger bounce and healthier knees.

The obvious solution is to have Stoudemire anchor the second unit, running the pick-and-roll with Pablo Prigioni, while Novak, Smith and Rasheed Wallace spread the floor with their 3-point shooting.

But playing as a reserve means fewer minutes and a diminished profile. For all his public diplomacy, it seems doubtful Stoudemire would be content. On Thursday, he told reporters he was ready to “return back to dominance,” which hardly sounds like the words of a player ready to cede the spotlight.

Ask those who have worked with Stoudemire, and they eventually invoke the same word: prideful. Not selfish or egocentric, but simply prideful — a man who views himself in grand terms and spends every minute trying to live up to the image. At age 30, even after multiple knee operations and back problems, Stoudemire still views himself as an elite player.

Reintegrating Stoudemire — whether as a starter or a reserve — might be the greatest challenge the Knicks face this season. (His famously poor defense is also problematic.)

It is a cruel crossroads for Stoudemire, one he never could have foreseen. He surely deserves a better fate.

Stoudemire was the one who planted his flag in New York in the summer of 2010, after every other star had rejected the Knicks. (He was in fact their sixth choice, after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson, a person involved in the discussion said.) His arrival made the franchise respectable again, paving the way for Anthony, Chandler and Kidd.

So now the Knicks are back, just as Stoudemire promised two years and five months ago. But these are no longer Stoudemire’s Knicks.

Hopefully Woodson can work his 19-6 mojo on him to accept a lesser role, and tell Amare to shut his trap about "Return to Dominance".

AMare will be fine. DOlan knows this and the reason why he did not want to trade him. Dolan knows there will be some medical problems but he is on it.

I don't believe the article because Dolan knows the vacuum capacity of Bargiani and would never trade a Black Jew with heavy 7th ave ties for a ball sucking Italian!

Andrew wrote:I heard Toronto was all in with the trade until they realized they would have to throw DJ in to make it happen.

NYKMentality wrote:

DurzoBlint wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

IrishKnickFan wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

Amare was a beast in 2010-2011. He was explosive and his jumpshot was automatic. Man if we can get him at least close to that level this year i think we can win

Damn right. He looked just as explosive during his preseason game this year too. Man is in excellent physical condition. Worked out with Hakeem during the offseason etc, etc. And then the cyst was found and had to be removed. I believe he's about to return as a freaking monster. But this time? As a role playing monster alongside Melo. This is Melo's team. Melo leads the way. But players such as Amar'e and Chandler will follow suit down low. I have a nice feeling that both Stoudemire and Chandler will work as one moving forward; which makes Raymond Felton a lucky PG ala having the chance to work with two BIG men in which can both FEAST down low. I believe Stoudemire's return will impact Felton the most. I also believe the trio of Melo at SF, Amar'e at PF and Chandler at Center will dominate the boards. And I mean dominate too.

I was watching it the other day and your right. Also, if you saw him on Knicks Xtra doing some drills. They showed him running and moving well, even was working under the basket on the moves he learned from The Dream. They looked very fluid and he was getting up well above the rim. Still looks like he has his explosiveness and I fully expect him to dominate or at the very least compete with opposing forwards.

Sounds like Amar'e Stoudemire has his mind set on one thing and one thing only... Which is to dominate the game down low. Under D'Antoni Amar'e was working on his shot. This past offseason? Worked on his game down low. Doesn't sound like Hakeem is done working with Amar'e either...

smackeddog wrote:Haven't forgotten what Amar'e did for this team- he put us back on the map, without him we wouldn't have Melo, Tyson or Felton. Really hoping he shuts up all of his critics when he gets back- he has a great work ethic and attitude.

Look at that final score...smh...glad we don't play defense like that anymore under Woodson.