Can't wait for the coaches to find an excuse to give Amare all NBA over Yao. You do have to reward the teams with the good records afterall.
Sick Sick Sick!!! What a player. Lance Berkman, comparing Stro to Amare is like comparing dog food to filet mignon. Stick to baseball.
When was I comparing both of them? I'm just saying in the amount of lets say 20 minutes, both could put up similar numbers with Amare being the standout. Amare does have Steve Nash while Stro's got Rafer Alston..
So let me get this straight..... Amare can come in playing his first game since what, June(?), and puts up 20/9/2 in only 19 minutes? If I were Zach Randolph and I just let a guy coming off the IR do that to me, I just might quit on the spot.
Impressive performance tonight, but it's not about "tonight." It's how his knee responds tomorrow morning, or on Saturday in Denver. Or next week, when they play four games in five nights on the road.
Did anyone watch the whole game? I am more interested to see if he has retained his explosiveness? His game is based on explosiveness. If he losses that he wont be great. He will still be good and effective but not great.
I'm not surprised after watching Tim Thomas score like a maniac in his first two games. Good thing I kept him in my head to head league....
If anything, that game showed us that Amare's game isn't as based around explosiveness as much as we thought. Good hands, great touch, great footwork tonight. He wasn't slapping the shotclock after jumping off the wrong foot tonight, but he was moving well side-to-side, going off the glass, and looking as if he was born to play this game.
Nash hardly played tonight, they are looking at resting him for the playoffs Amare got alot of his points with Nash on the bench.. Also, he relied on his jumper most of the game...
Yeah, that was kind of my reaction too. Watching him I thought, "Damn, he doesn't seem like his same quick, explosive self." But he still scored just as easily and efficiently as he did before the injury. Maybe being forced to develop his game outside his athleticism could result in him being a truly dominant player that could average 26-27 ppg even on a team that doesn't play up-tempo like Phoenix.
The scary thing is he was developing his outside shot over the summer before he had surgery. Even without the surgery, Amare was going to bring the new outside shot to his arsenal. Yes, he is "born to play the game"; no argument from me. But he worked out like a devil last summer and is dedicated to improving himself and being everything he can. This is why he's one of my favorite players.
Bingo. He has really worked on that shot! I think Yao was even commenting on him last season on how much he has worked hard and improved.
Just imagine how Scary if Shaq did the same thing when he was in his mid-20's. We'd be looking at the greatest center of all-time. (Right behind Hakeem of course).
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AhO0DJvWY8Fqy8y7M5K5Uoi8vLYF?gid=2006032321 By ANDREW BAGNATO, AP Sports Writer March 24, 2006 PHOENIX (AP) -- Amare Stoudemire had a message for the Western Conference on Thursday night. "Amare Stoudemire's back," he said after scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 19 minutes to spark the Phoenix Suns to a 125-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Stoudemire, who missed the Suns' first 66 games after undergoing surgery on his left knee Oct. 11, was 7-of-14 from the floor. His fired-up teammates responded by scoring 76 first-half points, most in the NBA this season. "This is a great start," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I'm pretty jacked up." Stoudemire was among seven Suns who scored in double figures -- Shawn Marion also had 20 -- as Phoenix snapped a two-game losing streak. Viktor Khryapa scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds for Portland, which lost its sixth straight game since defeating the Suns in Portland on March 12. The Trail Blazers are 3-20 since Feb. 3. There had been concerns about how Stoudemire, who had not played in 294 days, might mesh with the league's highest-scoring offense. But it didn't take him long to join the flow. After the U.S. Airways Center sellout crowd of 18,422 welcomed him with a standing ovation, Stoudemire opened the Suns' scoring with an 18-foot jump shot. "When I first started, I just wanted to get myself going," Stoudemire said. "I was real hyped right before the game started. Once the adrenaline got to pumping and I got that first shot down, everything was cool from there." Stoudemire's second basket came on a trademark put-back; he drew a foul on Khryapa and hit the free throw. Stoudemire scored on another offensive rebound a minute later. Stoudemire's inside muscle was a welcome contribution for a Suns team that came into the game averaging 9.48 offensive rebounds per game, fewest in the NBA. The 6-foot-10 Stoudemire replaced 6-8 James Jones at forward in the starting lineup. With Stoudemire dominating, the Suns sprinted to a 19-10 lead by the time he went to the bench with 6:46 to play in the first quarter. The Suns sagged when Stoudemire sat down. Portland had pulled to within 49-47 before Stoudemire returned with 7:48 to go in the second quarter. On the Suns' first possession, Stoudemire feinted a drive past center Brian Skinner, stepped back and hit a 15-foot jumper. With Stoudemire on the floor in the first half, Phoenix outscored Portland 34-15. Without him, the Blazers outscored the Suns 48-42. Phoenix led 76-63 at halftime. "When he rolls down the middle, he definitely creates some situations for people, and we can play off that," D'Antoni said. Stoudemire dunked only once, in the fourth quarter. But he attributed that to the flow of the game and said he wasn't reluctant to attempt the explosive leaps that make him one of the NBA's most feared players. "I'm not really banking on dunking," he said. "As long as I do what I can do to contribute to this team, I'm all set." Stoudemire said he was relieved to be part of the team again after a long and often discouraging rehabilitation. "It was tough," Stoudemire said. "There were some days where I felt I wasn't going to come back this year. There were some days when I felt like I was ready to come back tomorrow. But it was just frustrating because you have up days and down days on a consistent basis." Without Stoudemire, the Suns cruised to first place in the Pacific Division and are close to locking up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. With him, the Suns may be ready to make a run at the franchise's first NBA title. "I think it's time for us to rededicate ourselves to reach a championship level," he said. But Stoudemire may experience a few setbacks before he can consistently play at an All-Star level. "Ask me next week, too," D'Antoni said. "He's got some dog days ahead of him."
I'm being serious here, thanks for pointing that out. I hate when I read that "he was dribbling the basketball on his way out of the womb" crap, and I perpetuated it with my post above. Before Amare went under the knife, people were talking about how he could turn into a point-center who could nail three-pointers, along with his inside brilliance. Hopefully we can get back to those sort of, ultra lofty, expectations.
I can't believe a bunch of guys at a Rockets forum are smarter than the Suns doctors and management. Stoudemire out for the season... ______________ No timetable for when Stoudemire will return Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire received treatment on his left knee in the tiny visitors' locker room Tuesday, declining to answer questions about his return to the sideline. Phoenix coach and general manager Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire wouldn't play against the Milwaukee Bucks but doesn't have an idea when his young forward might return. "I just don't think we can put a timetable on it," D'Antoni said. "Nobody knows. We didn't know a month ago when he could play, all of sudden he pops up on the court. We didn't know the day before. "We don't know now when he'll be ready, but we're hoping the best for him. Whatever it is, we're going to do it with caution and make sure he's ready to roll." link
Actually, they're being smart and pulling him off the table before he injures himself again. He's no more sore than he's been after a hard rehab session - this is just a good decision to say he needs to be shelved for next year. Evan
Well yeah they are being smart to pull him NOW...but he probably shouldnt have been out there to begin with. I wouldnt have taken the chance looking at the long term.
