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I said here a couple days ago AS biggest challenge will be mental to overcome loss of athleticism. Sounds like he hasn't got his at ude in good position to salvage this season. It's still early ...
Suns to Stoudemire: Shape up or sit out
By Craig Morgan, Tribune
October 18, 2006
Two weeks ago in Italy, Mike D’Antoni and Amaré Stoudemire had what amounted to a father-son chat. There was no wine offered. Just a simple message endorsed by owner Robert Sarver: If you don’t dedicate yourself to this team 100 percent, you won’t be playing. Stoudemire had just skipped another workout, complaining of pain in both surgically repaired knees.
“Mike had had enough,” said a source familiar with the situation.
Stoudemire had just skipped another workout, complaining of pain in both surgically repaired knees. “Mike had had enough," said a source familiar with the situation. Two weeks have passed and Stoudemire has not missed a workout or complained of pain in his knees since, although he did minimal work at Tuesday's shootaround due to stiffness. Coincidence? Hardly.
But if you think the star forward is now a model citizen who just needs to hone his conditioning and timing, think again.
Stoudemire’s biggest hurdle in his comeback attempt may have less to do with rust and more to do with the jersey number he is wearing this season — No. 1 — and all the at ude that it embodies. As a matter of coincidence, it is the same number microfracture poster child Penny Hardaway wore in Phoenix.
For those keeping score, Stoudemire played 18 minutes in Tuesday’s exhibition loss to the Clippers, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, missing on all four free throw attempts and a pair of spin moves in the lane.
For those watching closely, there were periods of lack of interest and periods of coasting. Normal fare for a preseason game, maybe, but not for a guy who needs every minute of practice time he can get after sitting out most of the 2005-06 season.
Speaking of practice, some within the organization felt Stoudemire attended Tuesday’s shootaround in body only. The mind was elsewhere.
So where does this leave the Suns as they head into a pivotal season for this incarnation of the franchise?
In one heck of a pickle.
If Stoudemire gets back to 100 percent, it’s easy. Most figure the Suns as championship material and the chemistry will come in time.
But if he’s not 100 percent — physically or mentally — what does D’Antoni do?
Does he use him as sixth man and wait patiently for him to regain his former glory?
Does he bog down a team that established its own iden y in his absence in advancing to the Western Conference finals?
Can he afford to do either given the brutal start to the Suns’ schedule, which includes two games against the Clippers and one each against San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis in the first seven?
“It’s a little touchy,” said guard Steve Nash, who made it clear last season that the Amaré-less Suns were an unselfish, fluid and fun bunch to conduct.
Nobody knows if Stoudemire will rewind the clock to 2004, or if he will stay healthy the entire season.
Although the left knee will eventually need more work because microfracture is a temporary fix, not a solution, Suns doctor Tom Carter thinks the right knee will be a greater immediate issue because Stoudemire has chronic arthritis in it.
“He’s going to have to cope with periodic flare-ups,” Carter said.
And when he does, the Suns will have to walk a fine line between babying and bullying him.
“People can say what they want but nobody knows what kind of pain I have in my body but me,” Stoudemire said. “Nobody knows what I can and can’t do but me.”
Time is running out for Stoudemire and the Suns to find the answer to that latter puzzle.
Soon, D’Antoni will have to dust off his best Bono and tell Stoudemire the Suns are ready to move on: “With or without you.”
I said here a couple days ago AS biggest challenge will be mental to overcome loss of athleticism. Sounds like he hasn't got his at ude in good position to salvage this season. It's still early ...
This article is a joke. It makes the relationship between D'Antoni and Stoudemire seem strained, when there's been no previous evidence that this is the case. D'Antoni and Stoudemire are both understandably frustrated; Stoudemire with the recovery of both of his knees, D'Antoni with the integration of his former superstar.
Stoudemire is in no way a cancer, he has a great work ethic. He might be having trouble getting used to the fact that he isn't dominating anyone right now, but he'll overcome that mental hurdle eventually.
suns need to trade amare
now if they want to get value for him
Send Beno.
some gm is going to want to gamble on amare being healthy again
I would not touch him tell he proves he is back
like the artcile said he is always going to have flare ups. what happens if they are in postseason when he has played all year and his body is wearing down. there is a greater chance he will get another flare up then.
he has to improve his jumpshot or he will never be close to what he once was
Beno for Amare is a gamble?
Last edited by Obstructed_View; 10-19-2006 at 12:35 AM. Reason: added smiley.
amare looms
Some of you guy's are idiots. Amare will take time to get back but I believe he will be back. He is not doing so bad for it being only a year since the microfracture surgery and six months for the other knee to be cleaned out. He is also having trouble with his new son who has been reported to have been in the ICU a few times just recently. So give him time and he will prove you all wrong. Fifteen points, nine rebounds, two blocks is not bad for your first game against another NBA team this year where he actually got to play. You also have to keep in mind that he is coming off the bench so he is not always playing with Nash who makes the game much easier for everyone on the team.
did not nash say they have played without him before and did well
suns could feel amare knew about his knees before he signed his deal
and now are ticked at him
amare could also fear that he can not produce like diaw now
Suns won't trade Amare, they are not stupid. Even if the chance that Amare will be the same old Amare is very small it's still worth a risk
If the Suns were to trade Amare, and then sometime later he ended up regaining his dominant game, the Suns would feel mighty dumb.
Amare will get straightened up in his head, though it's hard to imagine what is going on there--wanting to miss practices and not work the injury kinks out doesn't sound like him. At least Mike isn't in the unenviable position of having to ready him for a playoff spot. It's only pre-season!
So ease up a little, isn't the trade talk a little premature?
Amare to the Knicks?
lol...
Amare will have to adapt his game to his lessened athleticism. That amazing vertical he had is gone, and it's never coming back. He needs to work on fundamentals: position, footwork, upfakes. He was a terrible rebounder even before the surgery. If he improves that, maybe finally gets to double digits, he can really help the Suns.
Sports Illustrated hasn't got a NBA finals prediction right in a long, long time.
uhh dude, I think he said "Kinks" as in bugs, minor issues, problems....
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