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"I wanted to make sure that we're looking forward to the future and being able to bring in other star players to help win a championship," Stoudemire added. "I felt that wasn't going to happen in that situation. I wanted to go to a team willing to build a championship quality team."

lilfishi22 wrote:I don't think he was talking about the window of opportunity but more about the willingness of Sarver to truly pursue a championship. I think he had legitimate concerns.

Amare left Phoenix due to closing window



BOSTON - Amar'e Stoudemire relocated in the Eastern Conference for the same reasons Kevin Garnett did: fame, fortune, and the dream of an NBA championship ... but not necessarily in that order.

The difference, of course, is that Garnett was joining Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in Boston. Stoudemire came to New York armed with a $100 million contract but with no established second or third star.

But with the Knicks having enough salary cap flexibility to make a splash next summer in the free agent market and Carmelo Anthony sounding more and more like he wants out of Denver, Stoudemire is confident the decision to leave Phoenix was a wise one.

"From my standpoint it's longevity and being able to build a team for a championship-caliber team," Stoudemire said. "That was my goal in Phoenix."

Stoudemire added that with Steve Nash and Grant Hill in the twilight of their careers and the Suns' window closing, he needed to make a move sooner than later.

"I wanted to make sure that we're looking forward to the future and being able to bring in other star players to help win a championship," Stoudemire said. "I felt that wasn't going to happen in that situation. I wanted to go to a team willing to build a championship quality team."

The Knicks won Wednesday in Toronto and put their perfect record to the test Friday against the Celtics, who lost to Cleveland one night after beating LeBron James and Miami.

Mike D'Antoni is sticking with the same starting lineup that features two rookies, center Timofey Mozgov and shooting guard Landry Fields. Mozgov played just eight minutes and picked up four fouls. Fields fared much better, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds.

Stoudemire gave himself a B grade for his 19-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist debut. He did score seven points in the last four minutes but struggled adjusting to the Raptors throwing two and three defenders at him when he had the ball.

"I don't think I'm going to face a one-on-one this whole year," Stoudemire said following Thursday's practice at Emerson College. "I have to be more of a facilitator and get the other players involved."

D'Antoni also feels that Stoudemire has to trust his teammates, many of whom have never played for a winning team. None has credentials comparable to Anthony, the Nuggets' All-Star who is apparently trying to talk his way out of Denver.

On Wednesday, Anthony told Yahoo! Sports that he will not sign a three-year, $65 million contract extension before adding, "For me, I feel it's a time for change."

An in-season trade with the Knicks is possible but not likely since the Nuggets have made it known that they can get a better offer elsewhere. However, Denver also runs the risk of losing Anthony to the Knicks for nothing if he becomes a free agent next July 1.

"We're not hoping on anything right now except for us getting better," Stoudemire said. "Carmelo has his own situation and that's for him to take care of with his staff and himself and best of luck to him."

Mr. Sun wrote:Funny Amare was not interested in helping the Suns build a championship team with his salary demands.

Lebron and Bosh took less but not Amare!

lilfishi22 wrote:I don't think he was talking about the window of opportunity but more about the willingness of Sarver to truly pursue a championship. I think he had legitimate concerns.