'Take on the World!' Amar'e Stoudemire Optimistic About Current New York Knicks

Former New York Knicks All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire is optimistic about the path his successors are taking.

Dec 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) plays defense against New York / Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

It was certainly hard to eclipse this Sun.

Amar'e Stoudemire's productive NBA career, best known for its original efforts with the Phoenix Suns (2002-10), also found prosperity through five seasons with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire was part of what was likely the Knicks' most recent best chances at a championship, averaging 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds between 2010 and 2015.

Nowadays, Stoudemire is taking in his successors' modern affairs with great interest, expressing optimism about their own Larry O'Brien Trophy potential during an interview with tenured NBA journalist Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson.

Dec 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire (1) dribbles the ball / Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

"Why not take on the world?" Stoudemire rhetorically asked the current Knicks at his 32 Stats of Excellence event curated by Culture Makers. "New York, you already know, is hard-nosed and they
work hard and we get to it, right? You see the Knicks team, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle,
these guys are also hard workers. They get right to it and they work hard at their craft to pursue
excellence, right? So you see the craftsmanship of these players in New York with the Knicks
that are propelling for them, right?"

Stoudemire was a part of the last Knicks group to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons, doing so in 2011-13. The current team is close to ending that trend, as they're inches away from clinching a spot among the Eastern Conference's top six. Last year's squad snapped a 10-year postseason series victory drought, as their five-game victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was their first since Stoudemire and Co. bested Boston in six in 2013.

To Stoudemire's point, New York has had to dig deep for its victories and earn its spot among the East's finest: injuries have eaten away at the team's premier unit (Randle is already done for the year) but Brunson has led the charge with the assistance of rising role players such as Precious Achiuwa, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride. As it stands, the Knicks (46-32) hold the fourth seed on the Eastern Conference bracket and sit just a game behind Milwaukee for second. Stoudemire's aforementioned victory over the Celtics was the last time the Knicks held homecourt rights in a first-round series.

For all Stoudemire accomplished in New York (ranking eighth in franchise history blocks and Player Efficiency Rating), he and Carmelo Anthony were never able to get the Knicks past the second round hump and the active conference final drought is the third-longest in the NBA. Stoudemire believes that the current core is capable of combating that drought both now and later.

"Even the Knicks organization, those guys are working towards greatness," Stoudemire said. "I love the trajectory that the team is going."