Amare Stoudemire did not come to the New York Knicks with a reputation as being a leader. He has been just that for the Knicks, though, as they have gotten off to a 13-9 start. Stoudemire does know a few things about winning, which he did a lot of in Phoenix.
He joined 'Boomer & Carton' on WFAN Monday. Courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews, here is some of what Stoudemire had to say.
On the difference between Phoenix and New York:
"Well the difference in Phoenix is that we were always championship contenders and fighting for a championship every year. This year is more of a greater challenge with trying to make the playoffs and keep a winning record. Also just trying to be able to help lead. I think we have the third or fourth youngest team in the NBA. So you make your mistakes in the basketball game and have to make sure you get over the hump."
On where New York is compared with other playoff teams:
"We’re still improving. We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We still have to get better on the defensive mindset, but if we can play together and make sure we understand our strategy on the defensive end, execute those, then we have a great chance to beat those guys. Those teams are playing great basketball but we’re definitely trying to compete."
On what he expects the rest of the season:
"I know one thing, as the season goes on, we’re definitely going to continue to improve. In the first month we’re showing that we’re a team to be reckoned with. If we continue to play as well as we have and keep improving, we’re going to be a pretty good team this year."
For Knicks fans having a team that expects to win games in a welcome change. Stoudemire gets a lot of the credit for that.