For as long as he’s been in the NBA, New York Knicks standout Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) has gone by the nickname “STAT,” an acronym for “Standing Tall And Talented.” The name is tattooed on his right arm and also happens to describe Amar’e pretty well. He’s proud, confident, and a positive role model. Not many professional athletes have enough of a sense of the world to get involved in the fashion industry and investigate family heritage in Israel.

In fact, Stoudemire has enough interests away from the court that he’s decided it’s time for a new nickname. He announced the change on Twitter this weekend:

I’ve been ordained the Renaissance Man. This is now my new nickname. Renaissance Man. You like it, I love it. Its not going to change @espn

So, did Amar’e just give himself a new nickname? Not quite, because chances are it came from Isiah Thomas. Here’s what Zeke told the New York Daily News at this last weekend’s FIU charity game (via PBT):

“I told (Stoudemire) the other day, the biggest thing he’s done for these kids down here is not spending two hours on the gym floor talking about jumpers and layups. He spent two hours in the classroom with them, then came back and spent another two hours in the classroom with them. He’s into learning more and being a true renaissance man.”

If you’re a Knicks fan, forget for a minute that Isiah is apparently chummy with one of the team’s marquee players. Instead, focus on how Stoudemire’s new nickname isn’t just a cute title, but a legitimate source of pride. In a league where most players are basketball obsessives, Amar’e's sense of the world is refreshing.

It’s also the kind of thing that might upset fans of the team he plays for. Both Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony(notes) seem to relish playing in New York for reasons not entirely related to basketball. (For instance, both are very into the fashion world.) Yet, as far as we’ve seen so far, they are both clearly committed to helping the Knicks work towards a championship, too. If they fail to reach that goal, it will likely have more to do with their deficiencies as basketball players (like playing defense) rather than a lack of focus.

Basketball weaknesses and disinterest sometimes look the same, depending on your point of view. But, for now, let’s celebrate Stoudemire instead of criticizing him for wanting to be a more complete person. Would we get mad at a tax attorney for learning to paint?

Related: Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

To the endless chagrin of New York Knicks fans (and some of the team’s employees), Isiah Thomas’ influence within MSG doesn’t appear to be shrinking.

If anything — even though he’s not allowed to officially work for the Knicks while he coaches college kids — Isiah appears to have more power within the organization than before.

Amar’e Stoudemire is one of several NBA players currently working out at FIU, and according to the NY Daily News, Isiah Thomas (and Knicks owner James Dolan) are hoping to use this opportunity and others to help lure Chris Paul to New York:

ESPN reported that Stoudemire was working out at FIU which happens to be the school Isiah coaches when he isn’t serving as a de facto GM of the Knicks. There were several NBA players working out at FIU, including Atlanta’s Joe Johnson. None of this is surprising since FIU is located in a favored city among NBA players: Miami. Plus, Isiah continues to share a close relationship with some of the league’s top players. That would including Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e and more importantly, Chris Paul.

This is the reason James Dolan continues to lean on Isiah for advice, even though Isiah doesn’t have an official position with the Knicks. (If he did, Isiah would be in violation of NBA bylaws for having contact with players during the lockout). Isiah played a role in the Knicks signing Amar’e two summer’s ago and he played a role in the Melo trade. He’s now working behind the scenes to help the Knicks land Chris Paul.

Knicks fans may rightfully hate that Zeke continues to be involved with their team in any capacity, but if his endless behind-the-scenes machinations help land Chris Paul, one gets the feeling that they’ll quickly forgive and forget his past sins.

New York Knicks star forward Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) hurt his back in April before Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics. The New York Daily News reports that the injury still has not healed all the way.

A Knicks source tells the paper that Stoudemire, who took most of the month of July off in order to rest his back, is 90 percent healthy.

Stoudemire “is scheduled to resume workouts in Florida within the next couple of weeks,” the Daily News reports, but the source wouldn’t guarantee that Stoudemire would be able to take the court if the season starts on time.

The Knicks, of course, really hope the injury heals because Stoudemire’s contract for five years and $100 million isn’t insured due to his previous health problems.

Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: New York Daily News

Related: Boston Celtics, New York Knicks

Ethan Hawke reacts with his son as the Phoenix Suns play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City o… Read Moren January 17, 2011. The Suns defeated the Knicks 129-121. UPI/John Angelillo

Ethan Hawke became a father to his fourth child, baby girl Indiana.  According to New York Daily News, the 40-year-old actor and his wife Ryan Shawhughes were seen walking around New York City with their baby over the weekend.

This is Hawke’s and Shawhughes’s second child together. They are also parents to 3-year-old daughter, Clementine.

The 40-year-old actor also has two children with former wife Uma Thurman: 12-year-old daughter Maya, and 9-year-old son Levon.

According to New York Daily News, Shawhughes was the former nanny to Hawke’s two older children. The couple wed in 2008. This is the actor’s second marriage.

People magazine had quoted Hawke has saying in 2006 that parenting was his greatest joy and was “the only role that, if I fail, I will consider my life a failure.”

Isiah Thomas will not be the next president and general manager of the New York Knicks. That is very different than saying he will not have influence, but he will not have the job and the title and the desk. Just ask him.

Who will? Probably a few of the guys already in the building in a power sharing arraignment.

That’s becoming the conventional wisdom around the Knicks, as articulated in the Daily News.

The team of Scott O’Neil, Glen Grunwald and Mark Warkentien, all of whom are already employed by the Knicks, are the front-runners to run the basketball operation, the Daily News has learned.

Grunwald is an Isiah Thomas disciple and former general manager of the Toronto Raptors. He currently serves as the Knicks’ senior VP of basketball operations and was named interim GM… Grunwald is highly regarded by his peers around the NBA and within the Knicks organization, having served under both Thomas and Walsh. According to a source, his responsibilities would be to handle the day-to-day functions on the basketball side along with Warkentien, who was hired Jan. 30 as a consultant.

Grunwald and Warkentien would report directly to O’Neil, the president of Madison Square Garden, who began taking on a greater role with the Knicks’ personnel moves dating back to last summer’s free-agent recruitment of LeBron James and including February’s celebrated trade for Carmelo Anthony.

They would replace Donnie Walsh, who was not picked up for a new deal when all he did was return the team to the playoffs after slashing the payroll in half.

Maybe some places this power sharing can work. But in Madison Square Garden under James Dolan? Yes, I have my doubts, too. But this may be the direction things are headed for the Knicks.