(NY Post)
Amar?e Stoudemire, playing at the Garden for the first time since his Knicks buyout last February, unleashed a series of shots at his former running mate Carmelo Anthony.
Stoudemire, now starting for the Heat in the wake of Chris Bosh?s blood-clot issue, made references to Anthony undermining Jeremy Lin and also not being ?a complete player? or the leader to get the Knicks out of their morass.
Stoudemire, who signed as a free agent with the Heat for the minimum contract over the summer, talked about his heady times as a Knick and regretted the club not re-signing Lin, pointing to in-team jealousies.
?If he stayed, it would?ve been cool,?? Stoudemire said. ?But everyone wasn?t a fan of him being a new star. So he didn?t stay long. Jeremy was a great, great guy, great with teammates, worked hard. He put the work in. We were proud of him having his moment. A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else?s success. That wasn?t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn?t think everyone was pleased with that.??
Stoudemire didn?t name names but it was clear whom he meant. Anthony had trouble hiding his envy during ?Linsanity.??
When asked specifically about Anthony?s travails, Stoudemire added: ?It?s tough man. You get involved in this situation, you have to take ownership of it. Ownership has to be make sure you make the right decisions for your team and teammates. You have to become a complete player to bring your team out of a rut. And everyone can?t do it. It?s not always easy.??
Anthony joined Stoudemire five years ago this month and the two never clicked on or off the court. Part of the problem was Stoudemire?s chronic knee injuries he?s still managing, but he?s still ticking. As he spoke to reporters in the visitor?s locker room, he was prone on the carpet in his customary black leg-sleeve contraptions.
Stoudemire contended the Knicks? culture has reversed since his early days with the team? no offense, Phil Jackson.
?It?s been a lot going on,?? Stoudemire said. ?And it hasn?t really been great over the years. It?s hard for me to watch from the outside looking in because I was so involved in creating a positive atmosphere with the Knicks and it?s going the opposite way. Hopefully it can turn out well in their future.??
The former $100 million man had no issues with the triangle offense but others did, he suggested. ?I truly bought into it,?? Stoudemire said. ?Maybe three-quarters of the team thought it was great. But if you don?t have a full team that buys into a system, it?s never going to pan out.??
Stoudemire didn?t play in the first three Heat-Knicks meetings. He sat out one game with the flu and didn?t even make the Heat?s previous trip to MSG on Nov. 27. He admitted it was awkward finding his way through the maze to the other locker room.
After being out of the rotation, he has started the past 15 games, even before the Bosh crisis.
?The plan was always big picture,?? Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. ?Whether or not starting, we wanted to bring him along and progress with him with his conditioning and get him used to how we do things.??
?I have mixed emotions,?? Stoudemire said. ?I don?t? want to beat them too bad but then I do.??