Quadzilla99
07-06-2006, 03:22 PM
Article from Phoenix. Mostly Stoudamire talking about the upcoming season and his knee. There is a link below.
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'Newborn' Stoudemire ready to play again
By Jerry Brown, Tribune
July 6, 2006
Before Wednesday’s first rookie league workout began at US Airways Center, Suns assistant coach Phil Weber took Amaré Stoudemire aside to form a game plan on how they would approach the first of two practices.
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“We started out saying, ‘Let’s go as hard as you can for two minutes or three minutes. We’ll use that as a jumping-off point,' ” Weber said.
It sounded good until Stoudemire took the ball on the break, spun around his man and flew toward the rim for a slam. Suns officials in the closed practice were nodding and beaming.
“It was one of those plays where you said, ‘Whoa, there’s Amaré,’ ” Weber said. “He made a few plays that stood out like that. So I think it’s OK to step things up a little.”
That’s fine with Stoudemire, who said he felt great and is looking forward to his first game in the Vegas Summer League on Friday afternoon. He’s taking part in two-a-day workouts with the other hopefuls and hopes to play in four or all five games, even going back-to-back on Friday and Saturday.
Unlike his ill-fated comeback in March, Stoudemire now feels two strong knees beneath him and is eager to show doubters that he’s ready to fly.
“Today was a great day for me. My explosiveness is coming back,” Stoudemire said. “I made some strong moves with the left and right hand, left and right leg, so everything is coming along. “I want to play as much as I can in as many (rookie) games as I can. I have no concerns about re-injury; it’s just about cardio and muscle endurance and living in the weight room.
“I never thought microfracture would be this serious before I had my surgery. I did a little research . . . but it’s all strictly work from top to bottom. I have another two to three months to go, but you can see the end in sight.”
Stoudemire feels at home in a 2006 rookie camp. If he had played four years of college ball, he would have been drafted last week. Instead, he’s already earned All-NBA third-team honors and is mentioned in the first breaths of the league’s elite. But after missing all but three games this past season while enduring major (left knee) and minor (right knee) surgery, the need to prove himself is as strong as any of the other 16 rookies and free agents wearing Suns colors Wednesday.
“I feel like a newborn,” he said. “Finally getting out there and starting to do things you forgot you could do . . . it’s coming back. When I see the ball on the rim, I go and get it.
“You still have that mental state where you say ‘should I jump over these three guys or should I take one more dribble and go around them?’ Certain thoughts are there, but over time, they will go away.”
Stoudemire restated his goals of becoming a better and more consistent defensive player and leading the Suns to a championship he feels they missed out on last year.
“With the team we have and the players we have . . . it’s championship time,” he said. “It would have been ours if I wouldn’t have gone down. Now that I’m back, it’s a no-brainer.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=69129
__________________________________________________ ____
'Newborn' Stoudemire ready to play again
By Jerry Brown, Tribune
July 6, 2006
Before Wednesday’s first rookie league workout began at US Airways Center, Suns assistant coach Phil Weber took Amaré Stoudemire aside to form a game plan on how they would approach the first of two practices.
Related Links
Sports
“We started out saying, ‘Let’s go as hard as you can for two minutes or three minutes. We’ll use that as a jumping-off point,' ” Weber said.
It sounded good until Stoudemire took the ball on the break, spun around his man and flew toward the rim for a slam. Suns officials in the closed practice were nodding and beaming.
“It was one of those plays where you said, ‘Whoa, there’s Amaré,’ ” Weber said. “He made a few plays that stood out like that. So I think it’s OK to step things up a little.”
That’s fine with Stoudemire, who said he felt great and is looking forward to his first game in the Vegas Summer League on Friday afternoon. He’s taking part in two-a-day workouts with the other hopefuls and hopes to play in four or all five games, even going back-to-back on Friday and Saturday.
Unlike his ill-fated comeback in March, Stoudemire now feels two strong knees beneath him and is eager to show doubters that he’s ready to fly.
“Today was a great day for me. My explosiveness is coming back,” Stoudemire said. “I made some strong moves with the left and right hand, left and right leg, so everything is coming along. “I want to play as much as I can in as many (rookie) games as I can. I have no concerns about re-injury; it’s just about cardio and muscle endurance and living in the weight room.
“I never thought microfracture would be this serious before I had my surgery. I did a little research . . . but it’s all strictly work from top to bottom. I have another two to three months to go, but you can see the end in sight.”
Stoudemire feels at home in a 2006 rookie camp. If he had played four years of college ball, he would have been drafted last week. Instead, he’s already earned All-NBA third-team honors and is mentioned in the first breaths of the league’s elite. But after missing all but three games this past season while enduring major (left knee) and minor (right knee) surgery, the need to prove himself is as strong as any of the other 16 rookies and free agents wearing Suns colors Wednesday.
“I feel like a newborn,” he said. “Finally getting out there and starting to do things you forgot you could do . . . it’s coming back. When I see the ball on the rim, I go and get it.
“You still have that mental state where you say ‘should I jump over these three guys or should I take one more dribble and go around them?’ Certain thoughts are there, but over time, they will go away.”
Stoudemire restated his goals of becoming a better and more consistent defensive player and leading the Suns to a championship he feels they missed out on last year.
“With the team we have and the players we have . . . it’s championship time,” he said. “It would have been ours if I wouldn’t have gone down. Now that I’m back, it’s a no-brainer.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=69129