Amare Stoudemire announced at a news conference on Monday that hes playing next season in Israel.Stoudemire will join Hapoel Jerusalem as an active player on a 2-year deal. As part of the agreement,?Stoudemire will sell his shares in the team to president and majority owner Dr. Ori AllonStoudemire is scheduled to travel to Israel next week as part of an NBA Cares initiative organized by the first Israeli to ever play in the NBA -- Sacramentos Omri Casspi -- and has taken a great interest in the country over the past few years since revealing that he has Jewish roots on his mothers side.?Last Tuesday, Stoudemire signed a contract with the New York Knicks and was immediately waived in a move designed to allow him to retire as a Knick.I came to New York in 2010 to help revitalize this franchise and we did just that, Stoudemire said Tuesday in a statement. Carmelo [Anthony], Phil [Jackson] and Steve [Mills] have continued this quest, and with this years acquisitions, the team looks playoff-bound once again. Although my career has taken me to other places around the country, my heart had always remained in the Big Apple. Once a Knick, always a Knick.Stoudemire, 33, averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 846 games over 14 seasons with Phoenix, New York, Dallas and Miami. The 6-foot-10 big man was named an All-Star six times and selected to two All-NBA first teams after turning pro out of high school, rising to prominence first as the NBAs Rookie of the Year in 2003, then as part of a devastating pick-and-roll combo with Steve Nash.?The Suns released a statement congratulating Stoudemire on his career, saying: Amares eight seasons with our franchise provided some of the most exciting Suns basketball this city has ever seen. Off the court, Amare represented himself with integrity and class every step of the way, leaving an indelible impression on countless kids in our community. Were proud to have called Amare one of our own and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement. Congrats, STAT!Stoudemire played parts of five seasons in New York, signing as a free agent in the summer of 2010. His Knicks tenure was marred by injury, but Stoudemire is credited for signing with New York at a time when other big-name free agents werent seriously considering the club. He averaged 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds and was named to the All-NBA second team in his debut season with the Knicks.?For parts of six years, Amare Stoudemire was the face of the New York Knicks franchise because of his excellence on the court and his dedication to our community and our fans across the world, said Knicks GM Steve Mills.When Amare asked us to retire as a Knick, we were honored to oblige.ESPNs Ian Begley contributed to this report.Joe Mullen Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Justin Schultz Jersey . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/patric-hornqvist-jersey/ . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. Brian Dumoulin Penguins Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Paul Martin Jersey . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name.Focus on ... Mercedes reliabilityWith both its drivers still in the running for the title, Mercedes is becoming increasingly concerned about reliability. The problems that affected Lewis Hamilton earlier in the season cannot be undone, but with three grands prix remaining the team is determined that a car failure does not decide the drivers title in the final races. Of all the remaining races, Mexico is arguably the most difficult from a reliability perspective, with the thinner air at 2,250 metres creating a number of potential reliability and set-up issues.From a technical point of view, the key feature of this race is the high altitude at which Mexico City is situated - giving it an atmospheric pressure of less than 80% of normal levels, Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe explains. This brings with it a reduction of aerodynamic forces, both downforce and drag, while the turbocharged Hybrid Power Unit is still able to deliver its normal level of power.The knock-on effect is that this circuit is tough on tyres, as grip levels are very low, and tough on brakes thanks to high speeds combined with low levels of cooling and drag. So, there are a lot of things to manage through the weekend simply to keep both cars healthy.At the same time, its tricky for the drivers, as they are essentially running downforce levels equivalent to Monza at a circuit with significantly more twists and turns. That creates some headaches for them behind the wheel but also the potential for some great racing.Although the turbocharged V6 engines are able to produce the same amount of power at the higher altitude, the turbo has to spin faster than usual to achieve that output and cooling can become marginal.One area you have to pay particular attention to on the power unit side is the cooling as the less dense air is not only less effective for combustion, its also not as strong on the cooling side too, Renault technical director Bob Bell explains. You maintain the same level of power, so you have to dissipate all the energy. With less effective air going through the ducts there was certainly a question mark last year. If its a particularly high ambient temperature we will need to monitor the situation closely as well likely be at a very high operating temperature.In short, everything should be fine, but there is a chance that teams can push the cars too far in the pursuit of performance. No pressure, then.In need of a podiumA podium is all Nico Rosberg needs to keep his title campaign on track. He can afford two second place finishes and one third place at the remaining three races and still come out on top in Abu Dhabi. He claims he is going for wins at each round, but no one would blame him if he started taking fewer risks and settled for second place this weekend.In need of pointsRomain Grosjean prooved the Haas is still capable of picking up points this year and that should be all the incentive Esteban Gutierrez needs to score his first points of the season.dddddddddddd His future at Haas is still up in the air, but a solid finish in the points would make the decision that bit easier for team bosses Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas. If he gets those points in front of his home crowd in Mexico, it will be all the more special.ESPN predictionLewis Hamilton looked like a new man in Austin as he notched up win No. 50 of his career and put an end to a five-race victory drought. He needs to do the same again this weekend to keep his title chances alive and just one week on from the U.S. Grand Prix he should be able to keep that momentum going.WeatherDry weather is expected for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is normal for this time of year in Mexico City, as the end of October is the beginning of the dry season that continues all the way through the winter months. However, some showers cannot be ruled out during the afternoon and evening hours. But its not going to be warm out there, with highs expected to be between 16C and 19C.A lap with ... Romain GrosjeanLong straight line going into turn one with big braking, 90 degrees right-hand side, followed by a small chicane. Its very important to get the second part right because youve got another long straight line. Then youve got another 90-degree left corner, and then a 90-degree right corner. Thats followed by a very weird double right-hander. Its very difficult to find a line. Then you go to the middle section which is flowing, with mid- to high-speed left and right corners. Next its the entry to the stadium - big braking here, very tricky with the wall facing you. Then its a very slow hairpin in the stadium, as slow as Monaco. Finally, its the double right-hand corner with very important traction going into the old part of the oval to finish the lap.TyresCompounds: Medium, Soft, Super-softAlong with Monza and Baku, Mexico is one of the fastest circuits on the 2016 calendar. However, the cars run more downforce than at Monza, partly to compensate for the altitude.The asphalt is still new, as the circuit was resurfaced for last years inaugural race (smoothing out the bumps that used to be typical of Mexico). The surface may have evolved this year.Mexicos most famous corner -- Peraltada -- is the one that takes most energy from the tyres.Weather is always a question mark, with both warm conditions and heavy rain possible.Last year, the track was slippery: however the circuit has been quite extensively used by a number of different championships during the season, which should lay more rubber down. ' ' '