There were none of the usual big boasts from Amar’e Stoudemire. His health speaks for itself.
“It’s great to finally go through a summer where I can just work on basketball — maintain and build strength,’’ Stoudemire said at Knicks Media Day on Monday. “The previous two summers was pretty much rehab.’’
At owner James Dolan’s urging, the Knicks shut Stoudemire down last summer after a minor knee procedure and wouldn’t let him rehab until training camp began in order to keep his legs fresh. As a result, Stoudemire began the 2013-14 season on a 10-minute cap and was banned from playing in back-to-back games. Dolan’s medical staff treated Stoudemire like a plate of glass.
When Stoudemire was finally allowed to be unleashed, coach Mike Woodson stuck him into the starting lineup at power forward and he wreaked damage on the court — not to his knees. In the final 20 games — all starts — as the Knicks surged, Stoudemire was a key reason, averaging 15.7 points on 57.5 percent shooting and stout defense.
New coach Derek Fisher won’t name his prospective starters, but Stoudemire is a good bet to line up alongside Carmelo Anthony up front — just the way Dolan once envisioned when he traded for Anthony in 2011 to pair with Stoudemire.
During the offseason, Stoudemire told The Post he was aiming to return to the All-Star Game as a player.
“It was a positive step,’’ Stoudemire said of his down-the-stretch play. “To capitalize on minutes played in a starting role, it played an intricate part of my success the second half of the year. Hopefully we can build on that.’’
Nothing’s ever certain with Stoudemire’s knees — both of which have undergone multiple surgeries. He’ll still be on a minutes restriction — likely in the 32-minute range. That’s where he topped out late last season.
“We got to 30, 35 minutes,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’m sure Coach Fisher and I will figure out something [that is] going to be beneficial for both of us. Having the year I had last year was positive. Building up strength, hopefully allows me to play more this season.’’
The offenses Stoudemire has played the past few seasons increased his versatility as a scorer. He had played in Mike D’Antoni’s speed-ball, pick-and-roll attack for so long, but Woodson ordered Stoudemire to work with Hakeem Olajuwon and turned him into a post-up player. Now he’s in the triangle, where he will show even more versatility.
Stoudemire has worked out a lot with assistant coach Kurt Rambis, who has showed him “so many ways on the basketball court I can take advantage of my personal skill set in the triangle.
“I’m optimistic,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’ve been able to develop certain skill sets throughout the whole situation and now I feel everything’s going to come to fruition this season.’’
The only summer disappointment was that Stoudemire, who owns a pro team in Jerusalem, canceled his July trip to Israel — where he was to unveil a new basketball academy — because of unrest there. Stoudemire, who has talked of playing for his Israeli team after his contract expires this summer, said the academy’s opening has been postponed until next summer.