NBA News Wire
NBA notebook: Knicks waive Stoudemire
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The New York Knicks waived forward Amar’e Stoudemire on Monday.
The Knicks reached an agreement Sunday to buy out the contract of Stoudemire, multiple media outlets reported Sunday night.
Stoudemire was in the last season of a five-year, $99.7 million deal. Assuming no team claims him and takes on his $23.4 million salary, he would clear waivers on Wednesday afternoon, making him a free agent.
Possible suitors for Stoudemire’s services include the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
Stoudemire, 32, appeared in 36 games for the Knicks this season, making 14 starts. He averaged 12 points and 6.8 rebounds in 24 minutes per game, well off his career averages of 20 points, 8.2 rebounds and 32.6 minutes per game.
—The Milwaukee Bucks have begun buyout discussions with Larry Sanders that would make the recently suspended center a free agent.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirmed an ESPN report on Monday about the buyout talks of the remainder of Sanders’ four-year, $44 million contract.
Sanders has missed the last 24 games with the Bucks. He missed 11 games due to illness and personal reasons, then served a 12-game league suspension (without pay) for another failed marijuana test. He last appeared in a game on Dec. 23.
—The All-Star Game lost out to the “Saturday Night Live” 40th Anniversary Special, which drew huge television numbers.
The “SNL” special on Sunday night brought back some of the biggest names in the show’s history, including sports greats Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter, and garnered a 14.2 household rating on NBC. The All-Star Game on TNT and TBS drew a 5.5 rating.
The Nielsen numbers included 56 television markets.
The rating for the “SNL” show translated into 23.1 million viewers from 8 to 11:30 p.m. ET. Turner Sports said the All-Star Game overnight rating was up 12 percent vs. last year’s broadcast and delivered an average of 7.2 million viewers.
