Amar’e Stoudemire may not have been lucky when it came to injuries during his NBA career, but the basketball gods may be making up for it now. After agreeing to a buyout with the New York Knicks, the 32-year-old joined the Dallas Mavericks. In other words, Stoudemire left one of the worse teams in the league for one of the best.

Although Stoudemire has bad knees, and isn’t capable of contributing more than a few minutes here and there, several teams showed interest.


The Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns both showed heavy interest in the former All-Star forward.

When it came time to make a decision, Stoudemire felt like Dallas was the best fit for his services.

"It's not an easy decision to make," Stoudemire told Yahoo! Sports, before making an official decision to join the Mavs. "Over time, we will see how things pan out. You give yourself a break during the All-Star break. You think about it with your family. ... That will give me a good solid week on how to weigh out the rest of the season."

Stoudemire joined a Mavericks squad that is built to win immediately with Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and newly acquired Rajon Rondo.

"He would fit in great because we play a lot of pick-and-roll," Chandler said before the news became official, according to ESPN. "Coach [Rick Carlisle] does an excellent job understanding scorers and how to get them the ball and putting them in a position to succeed. Not only that, we've got the best training staff in the league.

That also helps."

How Big of an Impact Will He Make?

Stoudemire shouldn’t be expected to make a huge impact with the Mavericks, but he could be exactly what they needed to get them over the hump. Before Stoudemire, the Mavericks were already considered a solid team that will make the playoffs. However, not too many people have considered them to be serious championship contenders.

Even with Stoudemire on the roster, the Mavericks aren’t expected to win the championship, but he could be exactly what they need to become serious contenders.

Even before acquiring Stoudemire, the Mavericks had one of the deepest rosters in the entire league. Now that Stoudemire has joined the team, Dallas’ bench is better than some starting squads around the league.

With that said, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has to be cautious with the way he uses Stoudemire. Stoudemire is prone to injury, and is not capable of contributing night in and night out. He should heavily limit Stoudemire’s minutes during the regular season, allowing him to play sparingly while he gains chemistry with his new teammates.

If Stoudemire is fresh for the playoffs, that’s when his value would show most for the Mavs.

Final Thoughts

It seems like Carlisle and Stoudemire have good plan in place for how to become accustomed with one another. After officially joining the team, Stoudemire was allowed time off to learn the offense and defense.

It's just going to take a little time to get acclimated," Stoudemire said. "I want to make sure I'm sharp and ready to go from the start, so a few extra days is always great to learn the offense and the defensive strategies and get more acclimated with the team."

However, Carlisle isn’t going to let Stoudemire sit out until the playoffs roll around. Once he learns the offense and defense, Stoudemire is expected to play as long as he’s capable.

“He’s not unhealthy,” Carlisle said, according to ESPN. “We’re making sure that he’s ready to play for the Mavericks, is what we’re doing.” 

Stoudemire is a good guy who has remained passionate and focused on basketball despite several injuries. I wish him nothing but the best in Dallas.