Amar’e Stoudemire had knee surgery this summer

Heading into the season, the Knicks have amassed some questions. One of the big ones is pertaining to Amar’e Stoudemire’s health. He played just 29 games last season, and with the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony, his role has become cloudy. Well, according to the New York Daily News, Stoudemire had knee surgery this summer:

"According to a Knicks source, Stoudemire had an unreported surgical procedure in July to repair one of his ailing knees. The Knicks open camp on Tuesday and have yet to announce that Stoudemire has had a third knee operation in 12 months. The surgery was described as “clean up” and isn’t considered major.However, the secrecy surrounding Stoudemire’s latest health issue could be an indication that the club is not optimistic that they can rely on the veteran power forward. Stoudemire appeared in just 29 games last season and had debridement surgeries on both of his knees, the right knee in October and the left in March."

The key there is that the surgery isn’t major, and if it helps him get healthy, then it can only help. The troubling part is that the source stated that his services won’t be relied on. Signing him to a 100 million dollar deal is starting to appear as a mistake, as he hasn’t been healthy, and when he’s on the court he has been muzzled. They probably won’t be able to move his contract, so the hope is that he can come back and contribute. With Andrea Bargnani getting traded to New York, the question surrounding his role only appears to be growing. Last season, Stoudemire came off the bench and played decently, so we will see what this year holds. Mike Woodson’s ability to fit pieces together, and build a successful offense will be a growing storyline in New York this season.