Coming into the season, many saw Stoudemire as the team’s wildcard, as, at his best, he would make the Knicks a versatile team, but, if he were to play at a lower level, he would clog up the paint and be a nuisance for the team.

His return was met with mixed emotions, as well, since the team was playing so well. Would he ruin the chemistry? Would be a black hole? Questions like these flooded Knicks fan’s heads, and left us unsure whether we should be cheering for his return or dreading it.

Right around this time, Matt Shanley wrote a beautiful letter to Amare. Stoudemire actually took the time to read the piece and respond to it, which makes the letter that much more meaningful. As Matt outlined in the article, Amare is such a good guy, that it’s hard not to root for him.

With that said, we love our Knicks. And as much as we might love one player, in the end, we’re rooting for the team to succeed – with or without that player.

15 games into the season, after the rust has been shedded, it appears STAT is back and it feels great to simultaneously root for the Knicks AND Stoudemire to succeed!