A tall male in a Knicks uniform shamefully shambles out of the American Airlines Arena. With a bandaged arm and a black hood pulled over his tucked-down head, Amari Stoudemire glances once more at the reporters before him. Then BANG!
Amari Stoudemire punches the glass case of a nearby fire extinguisher and exits the arena immediately, leaving behind a slew of puzzled reporters. Some speculate that Stoudemire punched the glass out of anger over his loss to the Miami Heats. 98.7 ESPN FM reported the belief of many Knicks fans that Amari Stoudemire should be fired on the basis of this careless act.
According to Fox Sports, even his team members were disappointed and confused, ”I really don’t know what’s the situation with that,” said Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who said he was ”on the court” when Stoudemire punched the glass.
Now, fans are wondering if a single act of one player could cost the Knicks the playoffs. 98.7 ESPN FM newscasters see a ray of hope in this astonishing turn of events. When Stoudemire was absent in the season, the Knicks were up 14-4. The gap between wins and losses was much larger than it is now, which leads to the question of how valuable a player he really is. Plus, some feel that he is only the shell of his former self.
But it is not only Stoudemire’s former fans and teammates who are angry. “I’m so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team,” Stoudemire posted on his Twitter account just hours after the game.
I hope that the chiefs of the Knicks decide wisely if they choose to get rid of Stoudemire, a dedicated player who has proved his own potential to be great and who has already expressed remorse for his actions. Are they willing to look past one second of fury into his impressive past and potentially bright future? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Below is some video footage of Stoudemire leaving the arena just after this career-altering act.