As Derek Fisher tries to make something out of the season’s second half, it’s clear Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes are not guaranteed. When he’s rolling and looking like he did in his All-Star past, he’ll play. If not, Fisher appears ready to roll with younger guys — newbie forwards Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas and training-camp star Travis Wear.
In his London return after missing nine games to rest a swollen right knee, Stoudemire looked to be moving in slow motion during his eight-minute outing, a statue in the starting lineup as the Knicks fell apart against the Bucks.
Fisher benched Stoudemire in the second half, noting he had trouble keeping up with the game’s pace. Afterward, Stoudemire said his right knee was fine, but there was no reason to push it by playing the second half with the game out of hand at the O2 Arena.
There was a sense, however, the end might be near for Stoudemire as a Knick. Only days before, at Imperial College, he stated he had a “hard decision’’ to make on whether he wanted to stick out this rebuilding phase with his contract expiring or possibly ask for his release to sign with a contender.
On Monday, when the Knicks beat the Pelicans to break a 16-game losing streak, Stoudemire seemed extra-motivated to prove a point — that he wants to be here. Amundson started over him, but Stoudemire came off the bench and competed like the revved-up firebrand he was as one of the few bright spots in November.
Stoudemire rebounded and posted up with zeal to finish with 14 points (6-of-9 from the field, six rebounds, one block). He played 20:30 — which could be his unofficial minutes cap. Fisher has indicated Stoudemire’s minutes will be monitored.
Fisher said Stoudemire needs to continue to play with that level of activity to get lots of playing time.
“Amar’e was great,’’ Fisher said. “As soon as he touched the floor, grabbing rebounds, making his presence felt out there. I thought he was fantastic. I think the minutes we talked about is more a result on how he looks and how the team is playing. Whether he’s out there every night, with 40 games we have to go, I can’t guarantee that. I think on nights he’s doing the things he did tonight, we should have him on floor as much as we possibly can.’’
As the Knicks get on with the season’s second half, it says here Stoudemire should stick. They should open another roster spot by releasing the re-injured Andrea Bargnani and perhaps even aging point guard Pablo Prigioni if there’s a young D-Leaguer they really like. The young guys need a veteran like the hard-working Stoudemire after whom to model themselves. With his history of knee trouble, it’s a miracle he is still out there, dominant on occasion.
Other observations:
— It looks as if Fisher’s campaign to get Amundson and Lance Thomas another 10-day pact has worked. Thomas is re-signing, according to a source. The defensive forwards — along with Lance Galloway — have added new life to the locker room. Fisher likes the trio’s “enthusiasm for playing defense.’’ They also aren’t beaten down emotionally from a 6-36 season.
“I’m happy to be here, hopefully I’ll be here longer,’’ the 32-year-old journeyman Amundson said. “It’s tough when you have a season like this, lose so many games. Negativity starts to creep in. Bringing in Lance and myself, it’s some new energy and positivity. If I can be part of changing that, it’s great.’’
As the three-team trade was formulated two weeks ago, Knicks brass didn’t envision Thomas and Amundson as part of the mix. Wonder if Fisher was instrumental in ensuring they were re-signed after clearing waivers.
— Interesting Fisher gave DNPs to center Cole Aldrich and power forward Quincy Acy. Aldrich had put up good numbers as starting center but in losing causes. Perhaps Fisher just wanted to see more of Amundson/Thomas.
— Power forward Jason Smith had one of his best games — predictably against his old team — dishing out six assists and scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Offense hasn’t been Smith’s main problem. He signed a one-year deal, so he’s playing for a new contract.
— An amazing stat during the 16-game losing streak: The Knicks were behind in every game after the first quarter. They jumped on New Orleans early and took a 22-16 lead after one, holding the Pelicans to 26 percent shooting. Even Tim Hardaway Jr. played a strong defensive game.
“We got after it defensively in that first quarter and we maintained that type of enthusiasm the rest of the game,’’ Stoudemire said.