Amare Back tommorow?

[Trainwreck2100]

http://www.azcentral.com/

[virtual_9]

Rumor has it he's 80-20 for tomorrow, and that the coaches have set a cap on his playing time at 15-20 mpg. :spin

Of course, we Suns fans are ecstatic. But a hobbled Amare is probably not enough to get the Suns past your team; IMHO, it would take an Amare at 80% in addition to a KT at the same level.

[Xylus]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0322suns.html

Stoudemire set to return
All-Star says it's 80-20 that he'll play Thursday night

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
March 22, 2006

Suns forward Amare Stoudemire could be back in action as quickly as Thursday night.

The All-Star big man, out since left knee surgery in October, said the chances were “80-20” that he’d play Thursday night when the Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers at U.S. Airways Center.

Stoudemire said today was the best he’d felt since the microfracture surgery and that, barring any swelling in his recently troublesome right knee on Thursday morning, he was hopeful that he’d be on the court vs. the Trail Blazers.

Coach Mike D’Antoni said Stoudemire would play when he’s ready to play, deflecting questions on the specifics of Thursday night.

[Trainwreck2100]

Stoudemire set to return
Says he's 80 percent sure he'll play Thursday

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
March 22, 2006


Suns forward Amaré Stoudemire could be back in action as quickly as Thursday night.

The All-Star big man, out since left knee surgery in October, said the chances were “80-20” that he’d play Thursday night when the Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers at U.S. Airways Center.

Stoudemire said today was the best he’d felt since the microfracture surgery and that, barring any swelling in his recently troublesome right knee on Thursday morning, he was hopeful that he’d be on the court vs. the Trail Blazers.

“If I wake up feeling good tomorrow, then it’s possible I’ll play,’’ Stoudemire said. “I tell you what, it’s been a long process, it’s been a long time coming. I just can’t wait to step foot back on that Phoenix logo.”

Coach Mike D’Antoni said Stoudemire would play when he’s ready to play, deflecting questions on the specifics of Thursday night.

[Kori Ellis]

Wow. That's quick.

Good luck to him.

[Johnny Tightlips]

I ain't sayin' nothin'.

[leemajors]

i hope that doesn't end badly for him... sounds way too quick

[Notorious H.O.P.]

Good luck to Amare. I'd hate to see a player of his potential continue to have problems. The question here is does Phoenix have enough time to properly integrate him into the system? The introduction of a dominant player of his type at this late stage of the game has the possibility to cause chemistry issues at a time when they should be concentrating on jelling for the playoffs.

I'm assuming because of this, it became a now or next season situation. Hopefully they aren't bringing him back too quickly to his detriment but I think Amare has his head on straight and knows that he has lots of basketball in front of him. I don't think he'd take a huge risk but I'm sure the anxiousness of the upcoming playoffs and the desire to get on the court may cause him to take some risks.

[Despot]

Good luck to him.

I haven't kept up with his situation, but I have a bad feeling about this, for his sake. I'll throw in a prayer for him tonight.

[bendmz]

I say keep him out untill you meet Dallas... then rest him again....

[Trainwreck2100]

they are definitely playing with fire.

[Spurminator]

I wonder if the loss to Utah was added motivation... During the game yesterday it sounded like the chances had actually gotten worse.

[BillsCarnage]

Amare has had 3 straight days of good 5-on-5 practice...

BTW, i called it
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=69031

http://www.azcentral.com/phorum/read.php?36,456326

[thispego]

Amare has had 3 straight days of good 5-on-5 practice...

BTW, i called it
http://www.siliconghost.com/images/bfd.gif

[myhc]

Good luck Amare. I would've held him out until next season but if he's comfortable to start playing, then so be it.

[Bruno]

Good luck to him.
I'm sure he takes no risk by playing now.
I can't see Suns gamble on Stoudamire's future 6 month after giving him a $75M contract.

[Catharsis]

Good luck to Amare. I'd hate to see a player of his potential continue to have problems. The question here is does Phoenix have enough time to properly integrate him into the system?
Amare IS the system. The Suns style will get a huge boost from his ability to score in the key. Remember, the Suns have the least amount of FT attempts of any team in the NBA. Having Amare will help making players like Raja Bell, James Jones, Barbosa, Eddie House and Tim Thomas more open from the 3pt/perimeter. The biggest blessing this injury has been to Amare's game is his shooting. He was already working to be a better jump shooter last season. Being that all he could do was shoot the last couple months it's going to be special seeing him hit for more accuracy (one of the asst. coaches are scared Amare thinks he's a 3pt specialist now).

I say the next week and a half will be more exploritory as he tries to feel comfortable again. It will be important before the playoffs where he can hopefully get up to 90%. Then we can watch one of the greatest Conference Finals match-ups in the history of the game between Phoenix and Dallas--just kidding. http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smispin.gif

Team chemistry is important, but I think the reason the Suns have been able to succeed without Amare this year is irrelevent. They will NOT succeed in the post-season past the 1st round without a true paint presence. Marion isn't it and Kurt Thomas is a defender, not a scorer. D'Antoni said last month that Amare already had the quickest feet on the team back then when he first started working out.

And the problem with Amare recently was unofficially being labled as "in his head." It wasn't until Jerry Colangelo talked with him that a new sense of purpose seemed to exude from him. He's ready.

Whether you're a Spurs fan or a Suns fan, Amare's return is only good for basketball.

[midgetonadonkey]

Amare returning to quickly will turn him into the modern day Shawn Kemp, minus all the kids.

[Melmart1]

Whether you're a Spurs fan or a Suns fan, Amare's return is only good for basketball.

Not if he isn't ready yet.

[Oh, Gee!!]

We should use Rasho just to kick Amare in the knee if we face the Suns in the playoffs.

[leemajors]

And the problem with Amare recently was unofficially being labled as "in his head." It wasn't until Jerry Colangelo talked with him that a new sense of purpose seemed to exude from him. He's ready.

Whether you're a Spurs fan or a Suns fan, Amare's return is only good for basketball.

the talk with colangelo is what worries me. i thought amare was being smart by being tentative. no harm can come to him if he sits out this season and takes it slow. then he talks to colangelo and he all of a sudden feels fine and can play this week? sounds wack, if i were the suns i would make him sit - you don't want to potentially ruin his career. then again, i'm not the suns...

[Catharsis]

Not if he isn't ready yet.
He's been playing 5-on-5 for three straight days with no complaints of pain. I had scope surgery on my knee once and it took me months after I was cleared for normal activity to feel comfortable. It was in my head.

And nothing is a better indicator to judge whether you're ready or not than actually doing it. What's the worst that could happen? He'd ruin his career? Duncan does that every day with his ankle, but nobody's complaining.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

If the boy is ready to run, I say let 'im run!

[Culburn Castleberry]

Bad luck to him.

[leemajors]

He's been playing 5-on-5 for three straight days with no complaints of pain. I had scope surgery on my knee once and it took me months after I was cleared for normal activity to feel comfortable. It was in my head.

And nothing is a better indicator to judge whether you're ready or not than actually doing it. What's the worst that could happen? He'd ruin his career? Duncan does that every day with his ankle, but nobody's complaining.

duncan has pf, it can't be made worse by playing on it. the ankle sprains were so 2005...

[Kori Ellis]

He's been playing 5-on-5 for three straight days with no complaints of pain. I had scope surgery on my knee once and it took me months after I was cleared for normal activity to feel comfortable. It was in my head.

And nothing is a better indicator to judge whether you're ready or not than actually doing it. What's the worst that could happen? He'd ruin his career? Duncan does that every day with his ankle, but nobody's complaining.

Umm.. what's wrong with Duncan's ankle?

And having your knee scoped is nothing compared to having holes drilled into it for microfracture surgery. Only one NBA player (Zach Randolph) has ever come back from this surgery in less than a years time and had no problems. There's nothing wrong with being careful and bringing him along slowly. His game relies solely on his athleticism and he's awesome .. so it would be a shame to see him get ruined (ala Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston).

[Melmart1]

He's been playing 5-on-5 for three straight days with no complaints of pain. I had scope surgery on my knee once and it took me months after I was cleared for normal activity to feel comfortable. It was in my head.

And nothing is a better indicator to judge whether you're ready or not than actually doing it. What's the worst that could happen? He'd ruin his career? Duncan does that every day with his ankle, but nobody's complaining.


First, I said IF he isn't ready, not that he absolutely was not. If indeed he is ready, then go for it. No need to get defensive.

Second, the worst that can happen is exactly what you said- he could ruin his career.

Third, Duncan has no ankle issues. It's his foot. Comparing his PF problem to major surgery for Amare is apples to oranges. One has nothing to do with the other. They are completely different injuries on completely different levels.

[baseline bum]

Man, I'd let him sit out the season. I would always error on the side of caution with someone as young and talented as Amare. Imagine if Pop had let Tim play in 2000...

[Catharsis]

the talk with colangelo is what worries me. i thought amare was being smart by being tentative. no harm can come to him if he sits out this season and takes it slow. then he talks to colangelo and he all of a sudden feels fine and can play this week? sounds wack, if i were the suns i would make him sit - you don't want to potentially ruin his career. then again, i'm not the suns...
First, everyone in Phoenix knows Colangelo has mafia ties--so a "talking to" should always be of concern.

But from what Colangelo said, it was more of a pep talk. You can't rush a mental injury, you can only improve your feeling by playing, But it is a risk anyway you look at it.

[Culburn Castleberry]

I hope he fooks it up, Cath.

[virtual_9]

Just wanted to give a shout out to the Spurs fans here - you generally seem a pretty classy bunch - much more so than Mavs fans or Lakers fans. All except for this guy:

>We should use Rasho just to kick Amare in the knee if we face the Suns in the playoffs.

I do admit we have some morons of this stripe around where I come from, though.

Cubby - predictible response. Now, go away and leave these people alone.

Bill - saw your posting on ASFN - good call! I would have said sometime next week.

[Kori Ellis]

All except for this guy:

>We should use Rasho just to kick Amare in the knee if we face the Suns in the playoffs.

Don't worry about him. He's just an idiot.

Welcome to the forum.

[Culburn Castleberry]

[Cubby - predictible response. Now, go away and leave these people alone.]

I'm just sittin', scratchin', ain't doin' much of anything.

[timvp]

If Amare comes back and is 100% by the playoffs, the postseason just got a lot more interesting.

:smokin

[Catharsis]

Umm.. what's wrong with Duncan's ankle?

And having your knee scoped is nothing compared to having holes drilled into it for microfracture surgery. Only one NBA player (Zach Randolph) has ever come back from this surgery in less than a years time and had no problems. There's nothing wrong with being careful and bringing him along slowly. His game relies solely on his athleticism and he's awesome .. so it would be a shame to see him get ruined (ala Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston).
I understand what you mean, but Stoudemire's procedure was unlike all the other examples. The degree of the procedure was much more tame and the doctor who performed it said his age played significantly into the projected recovery time. He even said the knee was structuraly sound despite the area of damage. Anything related to microfracture surgery should be taken seriously, and that's why he's planning on a comeback in late March instead of mid February when they first projected a return. All the MRIs have been negative--he needs to make the mental leap, which is what he's been doing the last week.

Hardaway and Houston were already at the end of their careers when they had the procedure...well, Houston was. Hardaway was 30 when he went through it. There's a difference between 22 and 30 when it comes to strength and conditioning.

[mavsfan1000]

This could be the dumbest move in the history of the nba if Amare gets injured again. How can you let a franchise player risk is career like that after some serious surgery. He should be playing next year.

[Catharsis]

I hope he fooks it up, Cath.
Good to know you're still breathing, Dale. Tomorrow could be one of those black calendar days for you.

[Catharsis]

This could be the dumbest move in the history of the nba if Amare gets injured again. How can you let a franchise player risk is career like that after some serious surgery. He should be playing next year. If he's physically healthy, what's the difference between March and November?

[T Park]

I believe I told people when he came out and said it was 50=50 hed play this year, that it was all BS.

Amare coming back, IMO, puts them as enemy numero uno, and if the Spurs play them in the Western Finals, itll go 7.

[Culburn Castleberry]

[Good to know you're still breathing, Dale. Tomorrow could be one of those black calendar days for you.]

At O & 37, I ain't ever had a black calendar day.

I watched, I say I watched CWEBB turn his back on Robert Horry and its been shaved snootchie every day since.

[baseline bum]

I'm a big Amare fan and I hope he is 100%. I don't want to see him turn into McDyess (another one of my favorite players I've ever seen).

[Kori Ellis]

I understand what you mean, but Stoudemire's procedure was unlike all the other examples. The degree of the procedure was much more tame and the doctor who performed it said his age played significantly into the projected recovery time. He even said the knee was structuraly sound despite the area of damage. Anything related to microfracture surgery should be taken seriously, and that's why he's planning on a comeback in late March instead of mid February when they first projected a return. All the MRIs have been negative--he needs to make the mental leap, which is what he's been doing the last week.

Hardaway and Houston were already at the end of their careers when they had the procedure...well, Houston was. Hardaway was 30 when he went through it. There's a difference between 22 and 30 when it comes to strength and conditioning.

Very true about the age thing.

I wish him the very best.

When you look at the guys who had it, it's pretty scary though:

Houston, Hardaway, Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn, Terrell Brandon, Pat Garrity.

I guess the successful ones have been Randolph, Jason Kidd, Eduardo Najera (who admits he got rushed back), Matt Harpring, Kerry Kittles.

[Despot]

The degree of the procedure was much more tame and the doctor who performed it said his age played significantly into the projected recovery time. He even said the knee was structuraly sound despite the area of damage.

Again I wish him all the best of luck, hopefully he will come back strong and play for the Spurs some day, but the at first the doctor who performed the surgery actually said the knee was extremely damaged, much worse than they had expected, but that he was able to repair it with no problems. It was not until after that statement, and probably after Amare and the Suns threatened a lawsuit, that he made a reverse and said everything went perfectly and that it was not that bad in the first place. Although, I'm sure the doctor was just trying to pump up his value in the medical community.

[Spurologist]

I ain't sayin' nothin'.

:lol Are you ever gonna say somethin.

I think it's a bit premature for the suns to bringing Amare into full contact basketball. The report on his condition seems to change everytime his this story comes up. I'm not Amare's body or doctor, but I'd wait for 100-0 before letting him play.

[T Park]

I guess the successful ones have been Randolph, Jason Kidd, Eduardo Najera (who admits he got rushed back), Matt Harpring, Kerry Kittles


Kittles had a couple years, but last year he hardly played, and is now out of the league.

[Kori Ellis]

Kittles had a couple years, but last year he hardly played, and is now out of the league.

He also sat out one full year after the surgery I believe.

[Spurologist]

Kittles had a couple years, but last year he hardly played, and is now out of the league.

sad for an 8th pick with promise. Does anyone know if he's playing overseas or elsewhere?

[Catharsis]

Again I wish him all the best of luck, hopefully he will come back strong and play for the Spurs some day, but the at first the doctor who performed the surgery actually said the knee was extremely damaged, much worse than they had expected, but that he was able to repair it with no problems. It was not until after that statement, and probably after Amare and the Suns threatened a lawsuit, that he made a reverse and said everything went perfectly and that it was not that bad in the first place. Although, I'm sure the doctor was just trying to pump up his value in the medical community.
Sorry, that quib is 100% BS. But you can believe that as well as flouride being used as a mind controling device by the government and other conspiracies.

What he really said:

And given Stoudemire’s youth, the location of the centimeter-wide lesion and that the rest of the knee was pristine, Carter has every confidence that the 22-year-old will be able to resume his career unobstructed and in time for the end of the season. "It’s a best-case scenario when you go in there and there’s nothing else wrong with the knee,’’ said Carter, who said the lesion on the inside of Stoudemire’s knee measured 8 millimeters by 1 centimeter. Carter compared the lesion to "a pothole," which would get bigger, cause more pain and become harder to treat as time passed.

"When you treat athletes, you are aggressively conservative,’’ he said. "Rather than waiting and be retroactive, we wanted to be proactive to keep anything from coming up later down the line.’’

So while the Suns will have to go without Stoudemire until the Feb. 17-21 All-Star break, Carter doesn’t foresee any of the problems that plagued players like Penny Hardaway after microfracture procedures on knees that were already surgically repaired and beginning to break down.


Carter used a surgical awl to poke five shallow holes around the lesion, 3 millimeters apart, to facilitate the bleeding that will harden and form the "fibrocartilage’’ that will fill in the tiny hole.

"Not all defects are the same; it’s like comparing apples and oranges,’’ he said. "You try to compare it to (surgeries of athletes) and some of those results have been abysmal. But you’re talking about patients that have arthritic knees (like Hardaway), or kissing lesions (bare bone-onbone involving femur and tibia) and other things. Those are degenerative lesions compared to this, which is an isolated lesion where the rest of the knee is normal.’’

Carter said Stoudemire complained of knee pain during the summer, but when asked if it really bothered him, he would say ""No, it’s OK.’’ Even as recently as Oct. 3, almost two weeks after an MRI exam revealed the lesion — Stoudemire said he felt great when the Suns took their physicals before heading to Tucson for training camp.

"But when he started bumping up his activities (at camp), that’s when we started to see more symptoms and swelling that we get concerned about,’’ Carter said. "We never ignore pain, but when you see swelling it changes the game.’’

[Obstructed_View]

...having your knee scoped is nothing compared to having holes drilled into it for microfracture surgery. Only one NBA player (Zach Randolph) has ever come back from this surgery in less than a years time and had no problems. There's nothing wrong with being careful and bringing him along slowly. His game relies solely on his athleticism and he's awesome .. so it would be a shame to see him get ruined (ala Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston).

I couldn't agree more. Amare is a big dude and is incredibly strong. I hope he comes back and is the old Amare in a week, but it would be bad for all fans of basketball if he came back too quickly and got hurt.

[Please_dont_ban_me]

The only thing Amare has is his dunks in the lane.

If he can't elevate to finish, he's no better than a...Dampier.

[T Park]

The only thing Amare has is his dunks in the lane.



Shot blocking.

Decent 10 foot jumper, wich Im sure hes been working on alot lately.


Hes got more than that, don"t be obtuse about it.

[LilMissSPURfect]

Only "THEY" know "HIS" body!

[Obstructed_View]

The only thing Amare has is his dunks in the lane.

If he can't elevate to finish, he's no better than a...Dampier.
A little oversimplified, but I agree with that to a certain extent. He relies on his athleticism, but he'd be a senior if he'd gone to college. Lots of young guys do that early in their careers. We had one in San Antonio, if memory serves. If he comes back to 95 percent, he'll be fine.

[mavsfan1000]

Amare only wished he was as good of a defender as Dampier. Amare is definitely the offensive player but his defense is an embarrasment considering how good he could be at that with effort.

[T Park]

Amare only wished he was as good of a defender as Dampier


Oh yeah, Dampier is really a shut down defender.


Good god......

[Obstructed_View]

Amare only wished he was as good of a defender as Dampier. Amare is definitely the offensive player but his defense is an embarrasment considering how good he could be at that with effort.
Dude, you are on fucking crack. Amare is twice the defender Dampier is. The only reason Dampier is called a defensive center is because he has zero offensive skills.

[mavsfan1000]

Anyone who thinks Amare was a decent defender is on crack. Dampier is a shot blocker, lane clogger, and post defender. Amare can't do any of that. Amare is a scorer and that is it.

[ducks]

amare + nash >nash +dirk

[mavsfan1000]

Marion + Nash>Amare + Nash and ducks argument< sequspur argument. :lol

[DDS4]

Anyone who thinks Amare was a decent defender is on crack. Dampier is a shot blocker, lane clogger, and post defender. Amare can't do any of that. Amare is a scorer and that is it.

Stop drinking the homerade.

I've been following Damp since his Warrior days. He's probably better than Amare defensively, but he's not as good as you make him out to be.

[Please_dont_ban_me]

A little oversimplified, but I agree with that to a certain extent. He relies on his athleticism, but he'd be a senior if he'd gone to college. Lots of young guys do that early in their careers. We had one in San Antonio, if memory serves. If he comes back to 95 percent, he'll be fine.

Robinson never lost his lift. He just had back issues.

Amaries blocks and dunks come from athleticism, it's not too obtuse or simplified to say that without his main asset he will be a stiff. You might as well play Diaw or whatever his name is, and kurt thomas up front.



As for him having a 10 shoot jumper, it's decent. But you seriously want to throw him back on the court so he can pop 10 foot jumpshots? That's not his game. You have other guys on that team who can do that.









I say all this assuming he's not fully healthy, everything goes down the the dreain first time he facials somebody. :D

[N4th4n]

Amare only wished he was as good of a defender as Dampier. Amare is definitely the offensive player but his defense is an embarrasment considering how good he could be at that with effort.

Didnt he out score damier like 40 to zip in last years play offs :lol :lol

[mavsfan1000]

Well if you count foul trouble in the equation which Dampier was a victim of thanks to trigger happy refs.

[JMarkJohns]

As mentioned before, the injury right now is more mental than physical. Amare doesn't know what he can do for the first time in his career and he's not sure how it will affect him while he's on the court.

I suppose that the only way for him to work past it is to get out and play, but I pray they aren't sacrificing the future on the altar of the immediate. It's what they've done in the past and it's never worked.

Amare with a full year of rehab is far less of a risk than Amare with just five months of rehab. While the only real hinderance is mental, I'm not gung ho to risk that knee as most Suns fans. I always said I was great with a decision to play, so long as it was Amare's and Amare's alone. This little pep talk may help now, I just pray it doesn't come at too high a cost.

Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best. Seeing KJ rush back from injury after injury only to be out of the League in his early 30's really pushes me to err on the side of caution. It's not the same, but the feelings of impatience certainly feel the same.

[yeahone]

good luck amare

[yeahone]

and the suns fans exzcuse when we beat them will be what?

[nkdlunch]

Amare will be a nonfactor this season + playoffs. good luck to him

[JMarkJohns]

and the suns fans exzcuse when we beat them will be what?

A. Manu's flopping: They are getting good at this one!
B. The Officials: So many years, so many officials, sooo many bad calls!
C. Team Chemistry: Not enough time for the MVP to get his team to adjust!
D. Too long of a series: Still hoping for that best-of-one series!
E. Any and all combinations of thee above...

Don't question our ability! We may be the old maids of the League when it comes to Titles, but we're second to none in the excuse making ward!

I'd continue on, but the emoticons to my right are too distracting...

[adrienne]

Amare Back tommorow

Spelling=Tomorrow.

Forgive me, I'm an English nerd. I'm proud to say I didn't miss a single word on a spelling test in all of elemetary school. It's my claim to fame. :lol

[Man Mountain]

Spelling=Tomorrow.

Forgive me, I'm an English nerd. I'm proud to say I didn't miss a single word on a spelling test in all of elemetary school. It's my claim to fame. :lol

*cough*

[Catharsis]

A. Manu's flopping: They are getting good at this one!
B. The Officials: So many years, so many officials, sooo many bad calls!
C. Team Chemistry: Not enough time for the MVP to get his team to adjust!
D. Too long of a series: Still hoping for that best-of-one series!
E. Any and all combinations of thee above...

Don't question our ability! We may be the old maids of the League when it comes to Titles, but we're second to none in the excuse making ward!

I'd continue on, but the emoticons to my right are too distracting...
Don't forget we can ALWAYS blame John Paxson. DAMN YOU JOHN PAXSON!!

[adrienne]

:lol

Good eye. In my defense, a typo (and a difficult "n" key) is not the same as misspelling a word. :p

[virtual_9]

>Seeing KJ rush back from injury after injury only to be out of the League in his early 30's really pushes me to err on the side of caution. It's not the same, but the feelings of impatience certainly feel the same.

KJ also had an undiagnosed hernia for 2-3 years.

One thing we know about Amare is that he's really cautious when it comes to his health. I don't know if he's still on track to become one of the best ever; it all depends on his knee. But worst case, we're talking about a Karl Malone (in his early 30s) type of player.

BTW: Amare's been working on his jumpers - from 3-pt range. My feeling is that he'll be automatic from within the paint; he'll operate more from the high post until he's comfortable with throwing down crazy dunks on a regular basis.

Which should happen around the 2nd round of the playoffs, or maybe the conference finals - just in time to play with the big boys :)

[JMarkJohns]

Amare's great and Amare with an improved jumper would be very scary, but the last thing the Suns need right now is another perimeter forward who, for whatever reason, abstains from driving the lane, posting up or boxing-out.

A perimeter oriented Amare does the Suns NO favors, in my opinion.

Which is one reason I wouldn't push him to come back until his mind is right. It'll take some time to convince his psyche that he's not going to damage the leg if he drives the lane, or boxes out, but in my opinion, that's the only Amare that does the Suns good. He can't hesitate. Amare was so great on offense because he was instinctive. he saw what there was and reacted without a seconds notice. An injury-cautious Amare won't be that player. He'll be more likely to hesitate, then, since he was never apt to pass before, take a perimeter jumper.

Again, another perimeter big man does Phoenix no favors, no matter the name stitched to the back of the jerzey.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

yawn

[N4th4n]

Amare's great and Amare with an improved jumper would be very scary, but the last thing the Suns need right now is another perimeter forward who, for whatever reason, abstains from driving the lane, posting up or boxing-out.

A perimeter oriented Amare does the Suns NO favors, in my opinion.

Which is one reason I wouldn't push him to come back until his mind is right. It'll take some time to convince his psyche that he's not going to damage the leg if he drives the lane, or boxes out, but in my opinion, that's the only Amare that does the Suns good. He can't hesitate. Amare was so great on offense because he was instinctive. he saw what there was and reacted without a seconds notice. An injury-cautious Amare won't be that player. He'll be more likely to hesitate, then, since he was never apt to pass before, take a perimeter jumper.

Again, another perimeter big man does Phoenix no favors, no matter the name stitched to the back of the jerzey.

You make some good points , but do you ever see good in anything ?

[JMarkJohns]

I'm a realist. It's not my job to spread rhetoric to the masses.

Yeah. If Kurt Thomas and Amare return 100% healthy next season and them and Nash, Marion, Diaw and Bell all avoid big injuries, then I think they'll be in the Finals.

Health is the main factor and that's why I pray they don't fuck things up with this impatience.

If you care to, take a stroll through my posts and see which side I come down on. I'm a Suns fan and no one can question that. What I'm not is a Suns fanatic who only believes in the good, ignores the obvious and pretends like bad does not exist.

I try my best to be objective. That doesn't fly with a lot of Suns fans.

[TOP_MODEL_M]

Best of luck to Amare!
However, I think he should listen to his head, rather than his heart and not come back until next season.Guess he's eager to help the Suns win it all but they're not there yet even with a fully healthy Amare.
Another (expected) WCF exit is not worth the risk.

[Rummpd]

As a doctor no one really knows if he is ready or not, this surgery is still pretty new as far as elite athletes trying to come back in their prime; and I am sure he has had all the opinions, from the best qualified out there on when and how to come back.

Actually the risk of immediate or short-term "reinjury" is probably not that great but the more relevant question is how effective he will be.

This will only be answered in a game situation not from 5 x5 scrimmages, and he is going to playing on a team that will play a demanding up tempo game.

Who knows really if he is ready? I for sure am not qualified to proffer an opinion, despite a lot of training and sportsmedicine experience from afar.

Time will tell and good luck to him, great player with an incredible upside!

As a Spurs fan I for one am glad he is at least trying to coming back, if indeed he has been counseled it is a low risk proposition; as he if he is 80% and Duncan is at an equivelant mobility of about 80% (albeit in a different fashion) = bring it on for an interesting series in the WC finals (after we get through some rigourous "prelims").

[CubanMustGo]

STOUDAMIRE TO START TONIGHT (OFFICIAL)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0323suns.html

Stat is back, will start tonight
D'Antoni says Suns big man will start tonight

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2006 11:33 AM


It’s official.

Suns forward Amaré Stoudemire will return to action tonight at home against Portland — as a starter.

“We want to warm him up,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said after the Suns’ shootaround at US Airways Center this morning. “He’ll probably go the first three to four minutes and we’ll see how it goes and how he goes. We want to win games.”

Stoudemire has not played this season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee in October.

[SAGambler]

I wish him great luck on his return. I have always liked his game and even thought that he could someday maybe be found in San Antonio. I just hope all goes good for him. He is without a doubt one of the most exciting players to watch.

[Xylus]

He's going to receive limited minutes, obviously, but D'Antoni said he'd like to put him in for the first 3 or 4 min. of the game and see how he does from there.

I am so anxious right now. :p

[cheguevara]

break a leg amare.... I mean.. do a good job.

[leemajors]

it seems weird to play him spotty minutes but start him. then again, they are at home so it will probably get the crowd going like crazy early. good luck to him...

[CubanMustGo]

Yeah, I hope he doesn't get all hyped on the crowd love and end up doing something that'll cause problems. Good luck to Amaré.

[Catharsis]

Amare looked sluggish, uncomfortable, and sloppy tonight. And despite that he scores 20 points, has 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 20 minutes. He even had a thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound. Damn it's going to be scary when he actually gets comfortable.

[Catharsis]

it seems weird to play him spotty minutes but start him. then again, they are at home so it will probably get the crowd going like crazy early. good luck to him...
If anything it makes sense to start him. Send him out when he's already warm instead of having him cool off on the bench and not be loose.

[Obstructed_View]

Amare looked sluggish, uncomfortable, and sloppy tonight. And despite that he scores 20 points, has 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 20 minutes. He even had a thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound. Damn it's going to be scary when he actually gets comfortable.
Awesome. Hopefully he'll be full strength by the playoffs. No excuses allowed in the post season, baby.

[Xylus]

Please dear God, Gods, the spirit inherent in all of nature, etc. etc., whatever and so on...please let Amare stay healthy. Even if Amare is 80% in the playoffs, he will still give this Suns squad a better chance of contending. And though Amare had a nice game statistically and showed signs of his old self, I'm going to remain skeptical. This is only one game, so it'll be tough to tell what shape he's in until a few weeks from now.

[Obstructed_View]

Please dear God, Gods, the spirit inherent in all of nature, etc. etc., whatever and so on...please let Amare stay healthy. Even if Amare is 80% in the playoffs, he will still give this Suns squad a better chance of contending. And though Amare had a nice game statistically and showed signs of his old self, I'm going to remain skeptical. This is only one game, so it'll be tough to tell what shape he's in until a few weeks from now.
That's probably the right attitude. The Suns really have no shot at a title IMO, but they have a shot at about the next ten or twelve with a healthy Amare.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Please dear God, Gods, the spirit inherent in all of nature, etc. etc., whatever and so on...please let Amare stay healthy. Even if Amare is 80% in the playoffs, he will still give this Suns squad a better chance of contending. And though Amare had a nice game statistically and showed signs of his old self, I'm going to remain skeptical. This is only one game, so it'll be tough to tell what shape he's in until a few weeks from now.

i think its cool that you're a sigur ros fan

and amare looked solid tonight it seems.

[GrandeDavid]

What a freaking super stud Amare Stoudamire is. What a helluva return he made. Daaaaaaaamn!

[Sec24Row7]

Saw he came back.

Anyone watching?

Does he have his explosion off the floor?

[Xylus]

He doesn't have quite the same explosiveness in the paint. He was blocked once or twice right under the basket, which was pretty abnormal last year. But he was surprisingly aggressive inside and on the boards, scoring a small chunk of his points on put-backs. He had 5 offensive rebounds, which is a very, very welcome addition to a team that absolutely sucks at rebounding. His outside shot doesn't look as wooden as it did last year, but that's no surprise; he's had a year to work on it.

Some highlights:
-Amare got blocked, rebounded the ball right away and slammed it home for his first dunk of the season.
-A nice little behind-the-back pass to Skita under the hoop. It was Nashesque.
-He scored the Suns' first 2 points.
-They scored 76 points in the first half, a season record for the team.

Regardless of his old self, Amare is still more explosive than just about everyone.

[Catharsis]

He doesn't have quite the same explosiveness in the paint. He was blocked once or twice right under the basket, which was pretty abnormal last year. But he was surprisingly aggressive inside and on the boards, scoring a small chunk of his points on put-backs. He had 5 offensive rebounds, which is a very, very welcome addition to a team that absolutely sucks at rebounding. His outside shot doesn't look as wooden as it did last year, but that's no surprise; he's had a year to work on it.

Some highlights:
-Amare got blocked, rebounded the ball right away and slammed it home for his first dunk of the season.
-A nice little behind-the-back pass to Skita under the hoop. It was Nashesque.
-He scored the Suns' first 2 points.
-They scored 76 points in the first half, a season record for the team.

Regardless of his old self, Amare is still more explosive than just about everyone.
He seemed to get more explosive as the game went on. He was SLOW running up and down the court, but that's more to do with his conditioning then his knee.

One thing to add from Xylus' list:


Amare won the opening tip-off.

[Xylus]

He seemed to get more explosive as the game went on. He was SLOW running up and down the court, but that's more to do with his conditioning then his knee.

One thing to add from Xylus' list:


Amare won the opening tip-off.

Ah ha, I can't believe I forgot that, Catharsis. When he won the tip, I remember thinking to myself..."He's back." :smokin

[Sec24Row7]

Coming from a Spurs fan, that is fucking awesome.

I was so worried that he would come back a shadow and play out his career like Gramma Ma.

Thank God he is doing better than that.

He is an Amazing player and I wish him all the best.

Grats Suns.

(Now all you have to do is teach him to make free throws after push ups)

:rolleyes

[cs100]

This was a good game for Amare to return. Portland is a non playoff team, probably lottery bound. Now Friday, will be a real test, when Phoenix faces the Denver Thuggets. Hope he is ready for some banging and bumping by Friday. Or maybe D'Antoni will keep him out of this game. It will be a good test for the team, since it is possibility (if both teams make it to the second round) they will play each other in the playoffs.

[Xylus]

Coming from a Spurs fan, that is fucking awesome.

I was so worried that he would come back a shadow and play out his career like Gramma Ma.

Thank God he is doing better than that.

He is an Amazing player and I wish him all the best.

Grats Suns.

(Now all you have to do is teach him to make free throws after push ups)

:rolleyes

I've seen a lot of Spurs fans cite the push-up incident. I didn't know until I came here that it was a big deal. Then again, I don't really remember the circumstances and I did view the whole thing through purple-and-orange-tinted glasses. ;)

I'm a little worried about this game against the Nuggets. Despite the fact that the Suns have owned them since Nash arrived, they are probably the most physical team in the league. I'm boycotting Colorado, Bill O'Reilly-style, if anything happens to Amare.

Also, another interesting stat from tonight's first half:

The Suns outscored the Blazers 34-15 when Stoudemire was on the floor.
The Suns were outscored by the Blazers 48-42 when he was off the floor.

[JMarkJohns]

Speaking of free throws, the only stat I care about is 5-6 from the line in 20 minutes. That's right around his old 40 minute average. I was at work, so I didn't see the game, but I did follow it online enough to figure he was tentative in the first 12 minute (just 1 free throw) and more agressive in the next 8 (5 free throws).

Hopefully the agressive side continues, so long as his leg can handle it.

[Xylus]

He was 6-7 from the FT line, actually. Not that it's a big difference, but it strengthens your point.

[Trainwreck2100]

I've seen a lot of Spurs fans cite the push-up incident. I didn't know until I came here that it was a big deal. Then again, I don't really remember the circumstances and I did view the whole thing through purple-and-orange-tinted glasses. ;)




He did pushups when the Suns were up by 9 late in the 4th, keep in mind they were up by 17 in that same quarter. He goes on to muss both Fts and Spurs win in overtime. A fine example of Hubris.

[Kori Ellis]

Amare was awesome tonight in his first game back.

Good luck to him the rest of the way.

[Sec24Row7]

Ooooo Moderator Cleavage.

[Kori Ellis]

Ooooo Moderator Cleavage.

Check the Club for an explanation. :lmao

[SAGambler]

I'm glad he's back. Especially just in time for the Nugs and Pistons. He is one awesome player to watch.