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Steve Kerr had left the Phoenix Suns a few weeks before the club elected to let Amar’e Stoudemire walk to New York. But the former Suns general manager agreed with ownership and the club’s medical staff that Stoudemire was a medical risk not worth taking. “Yeah,” Kerr said. “I was on board with it.” As Stoudemire recovers from yet another knee surgery and questions swirl over whether he’ll ever return to his All Star form, Kerr said he feels “sad” for his former player because “Amar’e just loves to play basketball.” New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Amare Stoudemire, Steve Kerr 

“What I remember is our orthopedic surgeon Tom Carter saying that generally after six to eight years after a player has a microfracture there could be problems,” Kerr told the Daily News. “We calculated he had a couple of good years left and that the back end of the contract could be a problem. “You never know for sure but you go with your experts and in this case it was Dr. Carter.” New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Amare Stoudemire, Steve Kerr 

He explained that the latest knee issue cropped up when the Knicks were in the midst of a four-games-in-five-nights span, and he simply didn't feel right trying to play through the pain after a loss to Oklahoma City. Still, he didn't blame the pounding he took in that heavily scheduled span, and instead alluded to his longstanding knee troubles. "I don't think it had anything to do with the minutes," said Stoudemire, who is filming a documentary titled "In the Moment" to chronicle his rehabilitation efforts. "I honestly think it was just a matter of time before [a separate surgery would be required]." In a separate interview, Stoudemire said he hoped the procedure, which he's had before on his right knee, would give that leg another five or six years of durability in the NBA. Given the number of injuries Stoudemire's been through, Anthony, when initially asked about his teammate, turned away from the issue of basketball briefly. "At this point, I'm just more concerned about his psyche and his mental [state]. That's my friend," said Anthony, who was promoting Degree deodorant near Madison Square Garden Thursday. (For his part, Stoudemire insisted that he's fine mentally, and that his spiritual life and family have kept him afloat in recent weeks.) Wall Street Journal

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

Jared Zwerling: Stoudemire said the recovery process is the same as the last debridement he had in October. No timetable right now for a return. #Knicks Twitter @JaredZwerling

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

Amar'e Stoudemire said his rehab from his second knee surgery this season is "going well" but there has been no indication that he will play again this season. Stoudemire had his right knee cleaned out March 11. The prognosis was he would miss about six weeks. The Knicks may need a deep playoff run for Stoudemire to return. "It's been two weeks in now so I've really been able to recover, feel the improvement daily, and I just hope that continues to be the case," Stoudemire said on ESPN's SportsCenter. Newsday

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

No one is better than the Knicks at trying to throw us off with their high-brow medical vocab. Example: Who said Carmelo Anthony had his knee drained this week? The procedure, in Knicks-speak, was merely Melo having a "soft-tissue fluid collection of his posterior right knee aspirated." The reality, though, is that Amar'e Stoudemire's future is clearly cloudy and scary no matter how times we hear the mysterious term "debridement" to describe what's happening to his left knee. There's legit fear in circulation that Stoudemire, who had embraced his new reality as a limited-by-injury scorer off the bench quite admirably in recent weeks, isn't going to be able to keep coming back from these serious setbacks. Hope I'm wrong, because I've always enjoyed covering Stoudemire in good times and bad, but I'm officially worried for him. ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

"When I signed here in New York," Stoudemire said after the Anthony trade was complete, "that pretty much opened the eyes for the rest of the basketball world that, 'New York is a place where I will go now.'" Stoudemire made the Knicks a credible option for other stars. It's why Chris Paul was interested before he found bliss, and Blake Griffin, in Los Angeles. It's why a member of Josh Smith's immediate family asked a longtime league official to help place Smith with the Knicks long before Atlanta started shopping him. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Trade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Josh Smith 

Frank Isola: For what it's worth, Mike D'Antoni wanted Knicks to re-sign David Lee & not pursue Amar'e Stoudemire...despite the Knicks spin job in 2010 Twitter

Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Mike D'Antoni, David Lee 

Amar’e Stoudemire sent a message to his fans last night to not count him out. Ever. On the verge of undergoing right-knee debridement surgery as soon as today, Stoudemire posted on his Twitter account: “To my true fans who understand my heart...This is the life that the most high chose for me. I have to keep my faith in him. I will return again & again & again to help lead the Knicks to fight for a championship.’’ New York Post

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

Howard Beck: Re Amare's "uninsurable" contract: Not entirely true. It's uninsured against career-ending KNEE or EYE injury. That's it. Twitter @HowardBeckNYT

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire 

Wilson Chandler: Hope my bro @Amare Stoudemire has a speedy recovery. That sucks. Prayers up! Twitter @wilsonchandler

Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Wilson Chandler, Injuries 

Forward Amar'e Stoudemire is scheduled to have a right knee debridement this coming week. He is expected to miss approximately six weeks. Twitter

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Injuries 

Neither Carmelo Anthony nor Amar'e Stoudemire took part in the Knicks shootaround Saturday, raising the possibility that the team will have to find a way to generate offense and beat the Jazz Saturday night without either of them. Anthony is "still day-to-day," Mike Woodson said, adding that in a conversation this morning the player said the situation in his sore knee is "so-so." The coach said Anthony's status for the game at the Garden will be a gametime decision. Stoudemire missed the morning practice session because he was getting treatment on both knees, which are sore, the coach said. The Knicks officially listed him as "questionable" for tonight. Newsday

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony 

In addition, a source close to the Knicks told ESPNNewYork.com earlier this week it's important Stoudemire gets adjusted to playing more now, so he's better prepared for additional minutes in the playoffs. That's usually what happens during the critical period of the season, as coaches shorten their rotation to focus on their best players. "Now is the time to be giving him extending minutes to see how his body reacts to it," the source said. Stoudemire hasn't missed a game since his Jan. 1 return, and he's coming off back-to-back 22-point performances -- the last one without Carmelo Anthony in the lineup, which will be the case again on Thursday night. ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire 

Moving his offensive game closer to the basket has enabled Amar'e Stoudemire to reclaim his standing as one of the NBA's most efficient scorers. The Knicks forward is averaging a sterling 1.57 points per shot this year entering Wednesday's action, according to Basketball-Reference.com. That is fourth-most in the league among players scoring at least 15 points per 36 minutes of court time. And it is a huge improvement over his first two seasons as a Knick, when he averaged 1.31 points per shot. Stoudemire's efficiency even approaches his career-best 1.64 for the 2007-08 Phoenix Suns. Wall Street Journal

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Statistics 

Peter Vecsey: Teaching is 1 thing, learning another. Knicks source tells me Amar'e works very hard on post-ups. Practice makes Permanent Twitter @PeterVecsey1

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire 

Amar'e Stoudemire has accepted his role off the bench since returning from knee surgery, not complaining about the 30-minute restriction on his playing time. But according to a source close to the Knicks, Stoudemire is "ready" and "healthy" to play more minutes to help the team. "He's in tip-top shape," the source told ESPNNewYork.com. "He wants to play; whatever it takes for [the Knicks] to win." ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire 

If Stoudemire's body is ready, it would be important to increase his minutes now, to better prepare him for increased playing time in the postseason. That's usually what happens during this critical period of the season, as coaches shorten their rotation to focus on their best players. "Now is the time to be giving him extending minutes to see how his body reacts to it," the source said, "especially when you're not on [a] big winning streak. ... Something has to shake up." ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire 

When Stoudemire came out, the Knicks trailed 83-82. Over that final 7:56, they only scored 11 points — with Carmelo Anthony getting just three shots and hitting one of them. Stoudemire has not complained about his role this season. And while he again was diplomatic yesterday, he was curt when asked about not playing down the stretch. “It’s Coach’s decision,” he said. “Whenever my number’s called, I’m ready.” Woodson said not playing Stoudemire in the final minutes was a match-up issue. “I didn’t [consider it] because they were small and I went with Tyson [Chandler] on [Chris] Bosh,” Woodson said. “I’m not saying [Stoudemire] wasn’t a good fit. I’m saying that’s the way I decided to go.” New York Post

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Mike Woodson 

“My max is 30 minutes. I haven’t quite got there yet. We’ll see how that goes,” Stoudemire said. “It all depends on how the coaching staff views the game. I’m just ready whenever they call me.” Anthony didn’t want to get in the middle of any possible controversy. “I don’t control that. I leave that up to the coach. When Amar’e is out there, he’s giving us productive minutes,” Anthony said. “As far as the minutes go, you have to ask Coach Woodson.” New York Post

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Mike Woodson