DALLAS -- Amar'e Stoudemire summed up his excitement in three quick words.

“Sunday, it’s on,” Stoudemire said in anticipation of his debut with the Dallas Mavericks, which will come one week after he negotiated a buyout from the New York Knicks in the final season of his five-year, $99.7 million deal.

After taking a few days to get acclimated to his new team, Stoudemire is eager to begin earning his minimum-salary paychecks from the Mavs. The plan is for Stoudemire to come off the bench for Sunday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.

The 37-20 Mavs, who are sixth in the West standings and just a game out of third, aren’t asking Stoudemire to be a savior by any stretch of the imagination. They simply expect him to be a quality sixth man who will assume Brandan Wright’s old role, playing the majority of his minutes as the backup center behind Tyson Chandler.

Stoudemire, 32, is no longer the perennial All-Star and freakish athlete he was during his prime primarily due to knee problems. But he is still an effective scorer -- particularly in post-up and pick-and-roll situations -- and strong rebounder when relatively healthy.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Stoudemire averaged 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 24 minutes per game with the Knicks this season. The Mavs would be thrilled if he matches that production for them.

The Mavs gave Stoudemire, who recently missed 14 out of 18 games due to knee, ankle and wrist injuries, a three-day preparation period before putting him in uniform. Coach Rick Carlisle wanted to give Stoudemire time to learn the basics of the Mavs’ offensive playbook and defensive scheme and address conditioning and physical maintenance issues.

“He’s not unhealthy,” Carlisle said. “We’re making sure that he’s ready to play for the Mavericks, is what we’re doing.”

Stoudemire wasn’t eligible to sign with the Mavs until he cleared waivers at 4 p.m. CT Wednesday. His first official team function was a shootaround Thursday morning, after which he stayed and worked with assistant coaches.

He has since spent significant time with head athletic trainer Casey Smith and athletic performance director Jeremy Holsopple, making sure he’s as physically prepared as possible to contribute to a playoff contender.

With a big smile, Stoudemire joked that it’s time to take off his track shoes and lace up his high tops. He’s ready and eager to help the Mavs.