Bruno
03-28-2006, 07:54 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0328sunsnb0328.html
Stiff knees frustrate Amaré
Forward may sit out game tonight
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The game's opening tip went up and Amaré Stoudemire did not.
It wasn't the knees that would not get loose Sunday or Monday that kept him from jumping. He just got caught off guard. But it was a foreboding sign of a night that was a step backward in his return.
Persistent stiffness in both knees has Stoudemire and head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson considering holding Stoudemire out of tonight's game at Milwaukee. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said the staff will have to do some soul-searching before deciding any change in the starting lineup.
"They say you go through it anyway, but I don't want to feed into it," Stoudemire said. "I'm thinking it's supposed to be getting better and better each day, and it's not. It's just the opposite. We'll see how I feel.
"It's pretty tough on both knees right now. I really want to take my time and get back out there. It (the stiffness) is not a feeling that I want to feel."
After hitting 2 of 7 shots in his second game back Saturday, Stoudemire did not make any of his six shots in 14 scoreless minutes Monday. He had more fouls (three) than rebounds (two).
"It's going to be tough for him," D'Antoni said. "It's tough to get him back to where we need him. It's not easy. It's a long process."
Nelson said the Suns also could reduce Stoudemire's playing time, which has fallen shy of the 20- to 22-minute threshold in his past two games. He played 17 minutes Saturday and 14 Monday.
The problem is that Stoudemire does not get warm until it is time for him to come off the floor because of the medical staff's prescribed cap on his time.
He said he could not warm up his knees at Sunday's practice, Monday's shootaround or Monday's game warm-ups. In the game, he had little lift and barely bent his knees at times when he was walking.
He wore knee sleeves and rode a stationary bike while out of the game to no avail.
"We said from the beginning that there were going to be ups and downs, and this is going to be particularly bad because we're playing four games in five nights and we're traveling," Nelson said.
Nets guard Jason Kidd can relate in part to Stoudemire's battle, having gone through microfracture surgery, too. But Kidd is one of the procedure's biggest success stories, and he did not have the same sort of immediate struggles.
"When I came back, I felt great and was ready to go," Kidd said. "Everybody is different. Amaré is fighting to find that consistency. It is only his third game and he will get comfortable. I wish him the best of luck. I was in that same mode just playing 20 minutes. As much as you want to play more and get into a rhythm and help your teammates, it's hard because you don't want to rush back and reinjure anything that you waited for five or six months.
"The big thing for him is to keep working hard. He is going to be sore. In due time, he will be back to that same level."
Stiff knees frustrate Amaré
Forward may sit out game tonight
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The game's opening tip went up and Amaré Stoudemire did not.
It wasn't the knees that would not get loose Sunday or Monday that kept him from jumping. He just got caught off guard. But it was a foreboding sign of a night that was a step backward in his return.
Persistent stiffness in both knees has Stoudemire and head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson considering holding Stoudemire out of tonight's game at Milwaukee. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said the staff will have to do some soul-searching before deciding any change in the starting lineup.
"They say you go through it anyway, but I don't want to feed into it," Stoudemire said. "I'm thinking it's supposed to be getting better and better each day, and it's not. It's just the opposite. We'll see how I feel.
"It's pretty tough on both knees right now. I really want to take my time and get back out there. It (the stiffness) is not a feeling that I want to feel."
After hitting 2 of 7 shots in his second game back Saturday, Stoudemire did not make any of his six shots in 14 scoreless minutes Monday. He had more fouls (three) than rebounds (two).
"It's going to be tough for him," D'Antoni said. "It's tough to get him back to where we need him. It's not easy. It's a long process."
Nelson said the Suns also could reduce Stoudemire's playing time, which has fallen shy of the 20- to 22-minute threshold in his past two games. He played 17 minutes Saturday and 14 Monday.
The problem is that Stoudemire does not get warm until it is time for him to come off the floor because of the medical staff's prescribed cap on his time.
He said he could not warm up his knees at Sunday's practice, Monday's shootaround or Monday's game warm-ups. In the game, he had little lift and barely bent his knees at times when he was walking.
He wore knee sleeves and rode a stationary bike while out of the game to no avail.
"We said from the beginning that there were going to be ups and downs, and this is going to be particularly bad because we're playing four games in five nights and we're traveling," Nelson said.
Nets guard Jason Kidd can relate in part to Stoudemire's battle, having gone through microfracture surgery, too. But Kidd is one of the procedure's biggest success stories, and he did not have the same sort of immediate struggles.
"When I came back, I felt great and was ready to go," Kidd said. "Everybody is different. Amaré is fighting to find that consistency. It is only his third game and he will get comfortable. I wish him the best of luck. I was in that same mode just playing 20 minutes. As much as you want to play more and get into a rhythm and help your teammates, it's hard because you don't want to rush back and reinjure anything that you waited for five or six months.
"The big thing for him is to keep working hard. He is going to be sore. In due time, he will be back to that same level."