Concerned About Amare

[equestion]

From Zach Harper's blog Hoopspeak (ESPN Daily Dime)

http://hoopspeak.com/2012/02/some-thing ... #more-6360

[Knicksfan20]

Everyone notices him not dunking. But no one talks about how hard he is breathing. His conditioning is not there yet.

I acually made a thread about this very thing after the first mont of the season. I think with all that muscle he put on, it is hurting his stamina. He couldnt play ball, so he worked on his body/strength. He gained a ton of muscle/weight so he probably did that using suppliments.


Not being active and not playing offseason ball while putting on alot of muscle has left him out of basketball shape. I still do not think he is in basketball shape. That on top of the injured back is holding him back...and i do believe his back is effecting his play. He looks stiff instead of limber and agile.

[K_ick_God]

I watched the replay -- three blocks by Amir Johnson on Amar'e but in each situation, he just seemed to go up soft. Didn't even look to explode. He exploded a couple of other times. Not too concerning.

I think he may need a little more of a headstart now too. Can't explode as much from a standing position or only one or two steps. But I'm not sure that was even the issue here. Just Amar'e not really attacking and being a bit out of it mentally or simply out of practice / rhythm.

[stuporman]

I don't put a ton of blame on his time off but you could tell his timing was off a bit early on and I wouldn't doubt he was somewhat spent as the game wore on. I've seen him look like his former self enough to know he's still got it. He just didn't have the type of PG who could get him the ball in the spots that exploits his athleticism and even early on with Lin he was still not in sync. Give it some time.

[hatnlvr]

Everyone notices him not dunking. But no one talks about how hard he is breathing. His conditioning is not there yet.

Been saying that since mid-January. He just looks a lil out of shape. Doesn't look like he's "lost it" to me.

+1
It doesn't help that he is trying to be his old self and is forcing things a bit.

[Siem]

would you trade him for elton brand or antawn jamison or rashard lewis.

Brand will at least give you defense. Jamison doesn't rely on his athleticism and would spread the floor. If we can get someone else back or a couple of 2nd rounders and manage to include Toney, yes. Lewis is a lazy bum, he can stay in Washington.

You cant be serious...I hate to be so harsh, but the Stupidity of some Knicks fans amaze me. So your ready to trade Amare for Brand, 3wks from now when Amare is dominating this will look more ridicolous.. Antwan Jamison?? are u kidding Me... If Cleveland wouldve tried to get that Trade for Amare instead of Antwan, they'd probably still have Lebron... I swear this is one of the dumbest post i've seen.

[Rasho Brezec]

You might orgasm at the occasional poster dunk he will be able to produce, but I'd rather not take the chance on having an offensively limited player who doesn't play a lick of defense and has serious knee injuries tied up on a max contract for the next four years.

But yeah, keep on watching those highlights on ESPN, buddy.

[Kampuchea]

conditioning impacted by rehabbing back. I think he will be fine once he gets back in top shape. Unfortunately he will be playing himself back into shape during games, but nothing you can do about that due to the circumstances of his injury

[dantian]

The long offseason without a proper preseason, plus adding over 20pounds of weight, messed up Amare's game in a lot of areas. His jumper is way off and he becomes slower around the basket and got a lot more shots blocked. Right before his brother's death, he was slowing regaining his jumper touch. So, people need to be patient for him to get used to his physical condition.

[dantian]

The long offseason without a proper preseason, plus adding over 20pounds of weight, messed up Amare's game in a lot of areas. His jumper is way off and he becomes slower around the basket and got a lot more shots blocked. Right before his brother's death, he was slowing regaining his jumper touch. So, people need to be patient for him to get used to his physical condition.

Minutes after this posts, we saw Amare made sweet mid-range jumpers repeatedly to start the game. combined with spacing created by a PG like Lin/Nash, it's deadly for the opponent!

[Lincredible]

Man I can't believe how much he has fallen off the cliff since last season. His J is gone. He can't finish at the rim as well, which is what his offense mostly relied upon... And he was never a great 1on1 iso scorer. And he was never a playmaker. His contract is really going to hurt us soon.

[NYK Mentality]

Stoudemire with 9 points here in the 2nd quarter, has gone 4-7 from the field. Also had a strong first game back last night, shooting wasn't great, but still put up 21 points and 9 boards.

[Lincredible]

Stats aren't everything. 21/9 playing next to Lin in a P&R system with D'Antoni is automatic. He was unable to deliver in situations that should have been pretty automatic. His jumper was nonexistant. And his ability to finish down low seemed to be heavily diminished from last year. This is not looking good.

[Handledatruth]

Stoudemire with 9 points here in the 2nd quarter, has gone 4-7 from the field. Also had a strong first game back last night, shooting wasn't great, but still put up 21 points and 9 boards.

Doesn't change the fact that he is not as explosive as he was last year. I have issues with Amare's defense but I've always been a fan of his game. Also, I'm also not comparing old Amare to current Amare, I'm comparing last year's to this year's. There's been a drop in explosion. Again I hope it is just a timing thing (see Shumpert) but until I see something different I will continue to wonder if it is downhill from here.

[mildred]

I see Amare moving this game and Lin is finding him in rythym..... I likey. I think Lin will get some value out of Amare for that 20 mil we're paying him. Thank god for Lin

[Siem]

You might orgasm at the occasional poster dunk he will be able to produce, but I'd rather not take the chance on having an offensively limited player who doesn't play a lick of defense and has serious knee injuries tied up on a max contract for the next four years.

But yeah, keep on watching those highlights on ESPN, buddy.

Yea, but youd agree to a Trade for Elton Brand Or Jamison, Jamison is such a lock down defender, and Elton Brand always stays healthy...

Like i Said, After All Star Break, when Amare has his legs back under him, even the idea of trading him for Jamison or Brand will look even worse.

[blumatic]

Well Im still a Stat supporter and there are undeniable circumstances for his play but his swag gone. No mojo. I know athleticism can lessen but savvy and smarts should improve.

[Dunk93]

He looks horrible. His cons are now starting to outweigh his pros.

Doesnt seem to hustle up and down.
Struggles setting picks.
Lacks the ability to finish.
Never contests shots.
Doesn't help Chandler on D.
Never draws charges.
Consistantly finds himself charging into his defender.
Has been getting stuffed on the regs.

I hope to god things turn around but at this point, we are better with Jeffries.