Stoudemire steps out of Nash's shadow

It wasn’t too long ago that the names Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire belonged to one sentence.

The crafty playmaker and the explosive power forward led the Phoenix Suns to numerous games and have been the face of the franchise for five seasons.

But now, that honor belongs solely to Nash after Stoudemire decided to take his talents to New York.

And though everybody mostly talked about ‘The Decision’, the move to the Big Apple gave Stoudemire his fair share of off-season attention.

Unfortunately for the five-time All-Star, many have doubted if he could change the fate of the New York Knicks, a franchise that suffered a series of unfortunate events brought about by the Isiah Thomas regime.

Some experts, including New York native Kenny Smith, didn't think that Amar’e had the goods to help the city regain its allure as a Basketball Mecca. During the NBA Preview Show for the Knicks, Smith cited that though Stud had been in winning situations, he was merely a vital cog for the Suns and not exactly the guy running the show.

After all, it was the point guard penetrating the heart of opposing teams’ defenses, handing out assists and making the game easy for every one, including the 6’10” wonder who had a knee and eye surgery.

As always, Nash was both Stoudemire’s blessing and curse. Through all the seasons they were together, save for 05-06, Stud always scored above 20 a game. But for all the dimes dished, at the end of the day, Nash had always taken something away from Stud. In the eyes of the people, the credit goes to Captain Canada.

It was in last May's Western Conference Finals that we would see the last of that deadly pick-and-roll that rivals that of Karl Malone and John Stockton. After the Suns lost to eventual champs, the LA Lakers, Stud became a free agent. And though the Suns’ offer resembles that of the Knicks, with the exception of requiring the big man to play 22 minutes a game the last two years, Amar’e decided he was better off in the Eastern Conference.

When they signed Stoudemire, the Knicks were hoping they would land another big name free agent that will transform the franchise into a playoff contender. But thanks to the Miami Heat, it didn’t happen. Even notable swingmen Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay didn’t even consider hooking up with the Knicks. So instead of getting another All-Star to play alongside Stud, New York had to settle for Raymond Felton.

But while things didn’t go their way during the off-season, Stoudemire was able to will the Knicks to an above .500 record (they are currently 13-9). He finished with 34 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist in their latest victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to extend their winning streak to five. An excellent follow-up to his 31-point performance against the Toronto Raptors.

True enough, there’s life after Nash. After all, this is Amar’e Stoudemire were talking about. The 2003 Rookie of the Year and the same guy that averaged 20-plus ppg during the 03-04 season, even with a shoot-first points guard in charge of distributing the ball.

And there’s more to this than meets the eye. Somehow, Stud is proof that playmakers are only as good as the people around them (also see Chris Paul and the 08-09 New Orleans Hornets). When Felton was with the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that relies heavily on Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace for offense, he was averaging 5.6 apg. With the Knicks, Felton has averaged 8.3 thanks mainly to Stoudemire, and to some extent, Danilo Gallinari.

At 24.9 ppg, 9 rpg and 1.9 bpg, Stoudemire has given the Knicks its best inside presence since Patrick Ewing. And while Nash makes him look better, Stud is showing us that he doesn’t need a great point guard to win. Being the superb finisher he is it turns out that it’s the other way around – Stud can make point guards look better.