spurschick
05-30-2005, 11:41 AM
May 30, 2005
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
SAN ANTONIO - Amaré Stoudemire is 22 years old, and already we take him for granted. He scored 34 points against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 Saturday?
Been there. Seen that.
He’s averaging 28.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.92 blocks per game in the postseason? Nothing new. He’s done that all year.
It is a testament to Stoudemire’s amazing growth spurt as a player that he has made the extraordinary look routine.
"I think everybody is realizing how good he is," Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Now, Stoudemire has to make another quantum leap. He has to become Tim Duncan.
Yes, that’s asking a lot, particularly for someone just three seasons into his NBA career.
But Stoudemire has said he wants to be the best player ever to bounce a basketball. To do that, he must follow Duncan’s lead.
Duncan is the Spurs’ unquestioned leader, both in his actions and words. He’s their hardest worker, their most unselfish player.
And he’s dominant on both ends of the floor.
He’s a 7-foot version of Michael Jordan, and in this Western Conference finals, he’s given Stoudemire the perfect blueprint to follow.
"The best player in the game," Steve Nash called Duncan, and after this series, who’s going to argue?
Stoudemire won’t become Duncan overnight. Heck, Duncan didn’t even become Duncan overnight. But with every step Stoudemire takes in Duncan’s footprints, the closer the Suns will be to a championship.
"I’m learning a lot from Tim," Stoudemire said.
Hopefully, what he’s learning most is that he needs to be a superstar under his own basket as well as the other team’s basket.
Stoudemire can be a great defensive player. On one possession Saturday he blocked shots by Brent Barry and Nazr Mohammed.
"He has the heart of a lion," Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said.
What he doesn’t have — yet — is an understanding of team defense. How many times this series have San Antonio’s guards had a clear flight to the basket? And how often has Stoudemire gotten lost defending the pick-and-roll?
It’s not surprising, given his age and high-school-tothe-NBA background, that Stoudemire struggles with the intricacies of defensive play.
"Amaré understands that on the ball it’s very easy to focus," Iavaroni said. "It’s mano a mano, know what he does, know what I need to stop.
"But off the ball it’s about understanding angles, seeing the ball and the man, knowing when a help situation is going to occur. Those are all upperlevel things."
Stoudemire admits to his defensive liabilities, saying, "I have to dominate on both ends of the court. That’s what I have to work on."
But will he be as determined to fix that part of his game as he was his jump shot? It’s the rare 22-year-old who puts defense on a pedestal.
"It’s hard to criticize how he’s playing," D’Antoni said. "If you want to nitpick and maybe find something, yeah, at age 22, we can talk about D, but he was a man tonight (in Game 3)."
So he was. Yet, as this season comes to a close, the focus turns from what the Suns have accomplished to what they have to do next.
It’s hard to imagine Nash playing any better than he has this season. But Stoudemire has just scratched the surface of his abilities.
He can become, if he wants, one of a handful of big men who made the entire 94-foot length of a basketball court their personal playground.
Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson. And, of course, Duncan.
(Hold the phone calls about Shaquille O’Neal. He’s never been a dominant defender.)
"That might be difficult to do," Iavaroni said. Of course it will be difficult. But great things are expected from great players. And what do those five giants have in common? They all have won NBA titles. The Suns are knocking on the door of the fraternity. It’s up to Stoudemire to get them inside.
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
SAN ANTONIO - Amaré Stoudemire is 22 years old, and already we take him for granted. He scored 34 points against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 Saturday?
Been there. Seen that.
He’s averaging 28.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.92 blocks per game in the postseason? Nothing new. He’s done that all year.
It is a testament to Stoudemire’s amazing growth spurt as a player that he has made the extraordinary look routine.
"I think everybody is realizing how good he is," Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Now, Stoudemire has to make another quantum leap. He has to become Tim Duncan.
Yes, that’s asking a lot, particularly for someone just three seasons into his NBA career.
But Stoudemire has said he wants to be the best player ever to bounce a basketball. To do that, he must follow Duncan’s lead.
Duncan is the Spurs’ unquestioned leader, both in his actions and words. He’s their hardest worker, their most unselfish player.
And he’s dominant on both ends of the floor.
He’s a 7-foot version of Michael Jordan, and in this Western Conference finals, he’s given Stoudemire the perfect blueprint to follow.
"The best player in the game," Steve Nash called Duncan, and after this series, who’s going to argue?
Stoudemire won’t become Duncan overnight. Heck, Duncan didn’t even become Duncan overnight. But with every step Stoudemire takes in Duncan’s footprints, the closer the Suns will be to a championship.
"I’m learning a lot from Tim," Stoudemire said.
Hopefully, what he’s learning most is that he needs to be a superstar under his own basket as well as the other team’s basket.
Stoudemire can be a great defensive player. On one possession Saturday he blocked shots by Brent Barry and Nazr Mohammed.
"He has the heart of a lion," Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said.
What he doesn’t have — yet — is an understanding of team defense. How many times this series have San Antonio’s guards had a clear flight to the basket? And how often has Stoudemire gotten lost defending the pick-and-roll?
It’s not surprising, given his age and high-school-tothe-NBA background, that Stoudemire struggles with the intricacies of defensive play.
"Amaré understands that on the ball it’s very easy to focus," Iavaroni said. "It’s mano a mano, know what he does, know what I need to stop.
"But off the ball it’s about understanding angles, seeing the ball and the man, knowing when a help situation is going to occur. Those are all upperlevel things."
Stoudemire admits to his defensive liabilities, saying, "I have to dominate on both ends of the court. That’s what I have to work on."
But will he be as determined to fix that part of his game as he was his jump shot? It’s the rare 22-year-old who puts defense on a pedestal.
"It’s hard to criticize how he’s playing," D’Antoni said. "If you want to nitpick and maybe find something, yeah, at age 22, we can talk about D, but he was a man tonight (in Game 3)."
So he was. Yet, as this season comes to a close, the focus turns from what the Suns have accomplished to what they have to do next.
It’s hard to imagine Nash playing any better than he has this season. But Stoudemire has just scratched the surface of his abilities.
He can become, if he wants, one of a handful of big men who made the entire 94-foot length of a basketball court their personal playground.
Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson. And, of course, Duncan.
(Hold the phone calls about Shaquille O’Neal. He’s never been a dominant defender.)
"That might be difficult to do," Iavaroni said. Of course it will be difficult. But great things are expected from great players. And what do those five giants have in common? They all have won NBA titles. The Suns are knocking on the door of the fraternity. It’s up to Stoudemire to get them inside.