Amare in the Triangle

[GardenFaith]

I know a lot of people want Amare gone right now and to be honest myself included before camp started as I thought Bargs would be a better fit but let's face it Amare has given up some much needed points in preseason to take the heat off Melo while JR has struggled to "adjust"

If we start with a lineup of. .

Pg- Jose
Sg- Shump
Sf- Melo
Pf- Amare
C- Dally

I think this lineup gives us both offence and defence enough to carry this team with scorers like Timmy and JR, bigs like Jason Smith and Bargs coming off the bench should give us near enough the same style of play to get the W's

[Deeeez Knicks]

Amare doesn't really see the floor well as a passer or have good passing instincts and that kind of hurts him in the system. He is a good finisher and is always looking to score so there is some use for a player like that.

But when you throw in his terrible defense, sub par rebounding and deteriorating game then there's just not a major role for him.

Its sad, but hes just not the same player he once was and not a great fit. More of a limited minutes guy off the bench if you can surroud him with the right players. What makes it even tough and sadder is that Amare is having a real tough time accepting his decline.

Do you really think if you keep telling yourself that it will be true?

Its been like that for 2 years. If Amare can transform back to pre2011 Amare id take it. The writing is on the wall. Those days look gone. Amare has even been coming off the bench most preseason games

[PrecociousNeoph]

i dont know from what i can tell it's been the other way around: fish has been stressing that the offense is going to be an adventure through out the entire season, and for this reason has been stressing defense a lot more than anything else, since this will give them at least a chance to win. at this point though im just hoping the rumors are true and phil figures out a way to send him to the sixers before the deadline

[MaseInYourFace]

So we've had a few games to see players working in the triangle and also under the scheme of Coach Fish

Id like to discuss mr Amare Stoudemire

I don't know about you guys but it seems clear that he and Fish have decided on an identity for him going into the season.

He's clearly been told to be a point a min type scorer

he's trying to play some D and he's trying to rebound but his focus every time he gets the ball is to score, IMO


i guess Im ok with this

Hes a bit of a bully and bruiser down low who uses sharp moves and the threat of a jumper to get his man to commit to fouling him or giving him the shot.

I fully accept that his defense is mindless and perhaps hopeless

But off the bench, which I think is best for him right now, or at center, which may be his role on day one, he has shown a physicality and aggressiveness Ive liked

thoughts

I doubt he was told to focus on scoring. This system doesn't work that way. He was probably told to move around and play within the system but be aggressive if there are good shots there for him. What I often saw in pre-season was Amar'e still not trusting and forcing things. He's got a long way to go still if he really wants to make it work here.

[MaseInYourFace]

Stop calling STAT a PF...he has never been one even though we tried to force him into that position.

He is a scoring center.

It only really matters in terms of he will be guarding on defense. In this offense he'll either be in post or on wing. It's kind of a silly argument to have, it's not that pertinent.

[rajajackal]

I agree. Once he started getting more minutes last year, he got into a better ryhthym and looked more athletic and his defense improved.

he was playing the 4 at that point

we had Tyson Chandler

he was almost a non-factor on our team at that point - what he provided then can be replaced by dalembert

[Stoosh]

Why are the team even worried about teaching him anything...he's out of here next season.

[Moose]

We have a group of guys who should be getting limited minutes.

It is a tricky situation.

Actually I think the problem will be the opposite. We have a group of guys who should be getting more minutes than they likely will get and something is likely to boil over at some point. And that's the time we get to see what Fisher is made of. How does he handle the boil over. I think everyone knows this is going to be a transition season and most folks shouldn't be surprised if the Knicks don't win much. But what happens when someone doesn't like their situation (minutes, role, respect, etc.)...what then? There's too many guys on this team that should get minutes that they just simply won't get. There's only so many minutes available.

I think there is a difference between guys thinking they deserve minutes and guys deserving minutes. Players like Amare are becoming such a negative that limiting them to 15-20 minutes a game may be the right thing to do. However, Amare, being a former star, does not believe that. And this is the issue you are referring to. And that is correct. Egos will be hurt here.

I am talking about in terms of production. Guys like Bargs and Amare should never top the 25 minute mark, and even that may be too many minutes in all honesty. Amare's defense is so bad...it has actually gotten worse. Bargs is almost as bad, but actually may be worse at rebounding and despite Amare being incapable of passing the ball these days, may actually be better offensively than bargs.

And then we have limited players like Acy and Smith.

It is just a cluster of players who shouldn't ever be going over a certain amount of minutes most of the time.

[mpharris36]

Why are the team even worried about teaching him anything...he's out of here next season.

this +100000000000000000000000

who gives a sheet about amare. Play the guys who actually have a chance of sticking around next year.

who all happen to be better as well.

[Deeeez Knicks]

i dont know from what i can tell it's been the other way around: fish has been stressing that the offense is going to be an adventure through out the entire season, and for this reason has been stressing defense a lot more than anything else, since this will give them at least a chance to win. at this point though im just hoping the rumors are true and phil figures out a way to send him to the sixers before the deadline

Yeah, Phil Jackson has always stressed defense his career and Fisher has been talking about defense non-stop. Its always going to be important for those guys. They aren't going to suddenly ignore defense...(sorry Amare)

[Nazrmohamed]

I think people make too much of how backups fit into the system, especially when they are natural scorers which Amare and JR are. They're job is to offer the starting unit some rest and keep the scoring going. To me at the point Amare comes in its likely that Prigioni is in. Prigioni is great at running done pick and role and also had a positive effect on JR.
I'm more concerned with defense and to me that's the biggest reason they shouldn't start.

[EnWhyKay]

I feel sorry for Amar'e. This guy was the best pick and roll finisher in the NBA and then the Knicks say "you can't do that any more because Tyson Chandler can't do ish else on offence. Go stand in the corner and get ready to shoot threes because you can do that. Then they say wait, that's not working. Go be our back to the basket scorer. And he reinvents himself as a very credible and capable back to the basket scorer. Now we're going to put you in the triangle with a second unit as the strong side guy where you'll have to make passing decisions even though we know that you are one of the best finishers in the league."

Why can't we just return him to his primary pick and roll work and then minimise these other roles? He's an old dog. He learns new tricks but you can't expect him to master them.

Excellent Post!

[LBnySuaveJav23]

Bermuda Triangle..on defense.