Amare finally addresses lack of explosion / poor play

[knicksosmoove]

also, amar'e is the only player in the history of the nba who thinks it's a good idea to face-up on the low post. seriously, who does that. it's a lot easier to get space if you put your butt into your defender, amar'e . . .

if amar'e were to start posting up, 1, 2 possessions a game whenever he has a small forward guarding him in the low post, I would be so happy.

Agreed. I dont think he will ever have the weight to move an opponent but there are many ways to post. Position an seal ur man.

well, he was able to move whoever it was guarding him on the heat (I think haslem) enough to get in the paint and get a hook shot up. he should be able to back down a lot of small forwards or guards if they get switched onto him.

i remember against the lakers, he is literally trying to face-up against mcroberts in the low block. i mean, are you kidding me . . . I dunno, sometimes you can tell STAT didn't play that much basketball before going to the NBA. a lot of people it's just instincts to start backing your man if you have that much of a size/strength advantage.

it really shouldn't be too hard for him to get a rudimentary post game where he can at least take advantage of mismatches when he's in the low post and low block. it's not like he's some uncoordinated, raw slob. he has some touch. he can kind of put the ball on the floor (although, honestly I hate watching stat dribble; he's always liable to get stripped). he has a hook shot. he can shoot (well, in any he could shoot last year . . . ). should be able to put them together. i have been critical of lebron and durant about how shy they have been about posting up, but this year I see lebron posting up whenever he has a strength advantage and durant posting up whenever he has a height advantage. amar'e should be able to improve like they have.

[kane2021]

Thats what I have been saying. You see the explosiveness in spurts. The rest of the time he is huffing and puffing. I remember one play where he ran the length of the floor full throttle. He dove after the ball and hit the ground and just layed there trying to catch his breath. He rehabbed his back. Pumped some weights. But did little cardio. And had not camp.

I also suspect there are some personal family issues that have lingering before and now after the death of his brother that have been taxing on him. Add the struggles and you got all the ingredients for a mental funk.

Some nice setups on the floor for easy buckets, some more touches should build him up mentally. And in time he should get his wind. Im worried about you stat. Lets go papa.

[xsaberx]

none of this is new news or suprising


but it is really good to hear him addressing it directly

[Dr. Detfink]

Look at the end of the day, this guy is getting paid almost 20M a season, he KNOWS his body has an expiration date...he gives an excuse but that doesn't help the Knicks. Now if this guy said, "Recovering from back injuries, the lock out, and adding weight...I am forfeiting 10M of my contract as compensation..." NO. He won't say that.

EMPTY WORDS. TRADE this guy. It's not going to get better.

And I say again, THANKS Donnie. I'd rather the Knicks NOT sign that contract and suck rather than take a guy who is NEVER going to be the same again.

[GONYK]

what the **** is this even supposed to mean? its the exact opposite. which is the point. can't spend one day on real gm without gonyk typing with a stick up his ass.

It means who cares what you were doing what you were 12. Amare was dunking when he was 12 and winning MVP at major basketball tourneys when he was 14. In the NBA by 19 and an Olympian and multiple time All-Star by 29. I'd say he knew where his strength lay, and at 240, it wasn't in the post.

His game has never needed post play before. As he gets older, maybe.

[knicksosmoove]

also, amar'e is the only player in the history of the nba who thinks it's a good idea to face-up on the low post. seriously, who does that. it's a lot easier to get space if you put your butt into your defender, amar'e . . .

if amar'e were to start posting up, 1, 2 possessions a game whenever he has a small forward guarding him in the low post, I would be so happy.

that is a terrible idea. His moves are going around the player with his first step or taking the jumper.

i am not saying amar'e should become a back-to-the-basket big, but he should not be facing up in the low block. he can't do it any more. he doesn't have room to get the step. when he was 22-years-old he could do it because he was, in my opinion, probably the biggest athletic freak this side of shaq and lebron I have ever seen. he could literally dunk over two defenders from a standstill. he can't do that anymore. that's okay. no one in the NBA really can. those couple of times a game where he gets the ball down low with a mismatch, he should post up. that's all i'm saying.

[iLLSonChandla]

My question is how the hell do you add "15 pounds of muscle" when you have a bad back that put you on the shelf all summer ?

[prophet_of_rage]

considering his knee "thing" i have no idea why he added on weight in the first place.

also, amar'e is the only player in the history of the nba who thinks it's a good idea to face-up on the low post. seriously, who does that. it's a lot easier to get space if you put your butt into your defender, amar'e . . .

if amar'e were to start posting up, 1, 2 possessions a game whenever he has a small forward guarding him in the low post, I would be so happy.

i learned how to post up by the time i was 12. to think that a professional basketball player, much less a frontcourt player doesn't or can't sounds ridiculous to me. i just don't understand it.

David Robinson, Chris Webber, LeMarcus Aldridge use the face up game on the block a lot. Joakim Noah is another one.

How you post up on the block depends on your opponent and skill levels.

[TrueWarrior]

Im sure Amare will return to form a little bit, but the guy just looks real stiff to me now. You can see his back isnt healed yet because he just moves around and bends over like hes got a stick up his butt. Theres no fluidity to his movements anymore and hes not getting up on his dunks. Thats what Im worried about the most with him. Im not expecting him to return to All Star status at this point. Ill just be happy if he can contribute positively and his offense outweighs his defense.

[makeitstop]

Now if this guy said, "Recovering from back injuries, the lock out, and adding weight...I am forfeiting 10M of my contract as compensation..." NO. He won't say that.

That is by far the most ridiculous thing I've ever read here.

I'm sure if you were having issues at your job, you'd just give up half your salary, right?

[NewEra]

Talk is Cheap! Even when it comes from a rich man.

[GONYK]

Look at the end of the day, this guy is getting paid almost 20M a season, he KNOWS his body has an expiration date...he gives an excuse but that doesn't help the Knicks. Now if this guy said, "Recovering from back injuries, the lock out, and adding weight...I am forfeiting 10M of my contract as compensation..." NO. He won't say that.

EMPTY WORDS. TRADE this guy. It's not going to get better.

And I say again, THANKS Donnie. I'd rather the Knicks NOT sign that contract and suck rather than take a guy who is NEVER going to be the same again.

[Marty McFly]

what the **** is this even supposed to mean? its the exact opposite. which is the point. can't spend one day on real gm without gonyk typing with a stick up his ass.

It means who cares what you were doing what you were 12. Amare was dunking when he was 12 and winning MVP at major basketball tourneys when he was 14. In the NBA by 19 and an Olympian and multiple time All-Star by 29. I'd say he knew where his strength lay, and at 240, it wasn't in the post.

His game has never needed post play before. As he gets older, maybe.

says the guy who goes out of his way to talk about how limited dwight is. please.

[GONYK]

what the **** is this even supposed to mean? its the exact opposite. which is the point. can't spend one day on real gm without gonyk typing with a stick up his ass.

It means who cares what you were doing what you were 12. Amare was dunking when he was 12 and winning MVP at major basketball tourneys when he was 14. In the NBA by 19 and an Olympian and multiple time All-Star by 29. I'd say he knew where his strength lay, and at 240, it wasn't in the post.

His game has never needed post play before. As he gets older, maybe.

says the guy who goes out of his way to talk about how limited dwight is. please.

Says the guy who doesn't know Dwight is limited

[emo]

“Stay tuned,” Stoudemire said after practice Tuesday. “Stay tuned.”

[knicksosmoove]

considering his knee "thing" i have no idea why he added on weight in the first place.

also, amar'e is the only player in the history of the nba who thinks it's a good idea to face-up on the low post. seriously, who does that. it's a lot easier to get space if you put your butt into your defender, amar'e . . .

if amar'e were to start posting up, 1, 2 possessions a game whenever he has a small forward guarding him in the low post, I would be so happy.

i learned how to post up by the time i was 12. to think that a professional basketball player, much less a frontcourt player doesn't or can't sounds ridiculous to me. i just don't understand it.

David Robinson, Chris Webber, LeMarcus Aldridge use the face up game on the block a lot. Joakim Noah is another one.

How you post up on the block depends on your opponent and skill levels.

yeah, but I think that's something they get criticized about too. I always thought Robinson and Webber were not comfortable enough with posting up, and it was a weakness for them. lamarcus is kind of soft in my opinion.

[moocow007]

I think he's just making excuses. If he didn't play basketball for the whole lockout almost then why wasn't it being reported? It was just being reported that he has back issues nothing about no basketball activity.

I still believe in STAT and that he'll turn it up, but excuses coming from stars just bother me sometimes.

Him not being able to work out or do anything strenuous while he was trying to recover from back problems has been reported several times throughout the season already. It's nothing new. This in fact has been discussed as a possible reason for his sluggish play for 33 games now.

[duetta]

Great to hear. Amare's spin on events can only improve his trade value.

[moocow007]

considering his knee "thing" i have no idea why he added on weight in the first place.

i learned how to post up by the time i was 12. to think that a professional basketball player, much less a frontcourt player doesn't or can't sounds ridiculous to me. i just don't understand it.

David Robinson, Chris Webber, LeMarcus Aldridge use the face up game on the block a lot. Joakim Noah is another one.

How you post up on the block depends on your opponent and skill levels.

yeah, but I think that's something they get criticized about too. I always thought Robinson and Webber were not comfortable enough with posting up, and it was a weakness for them. lamarcus is kind of soft in my opinion.

Webber made his living passing out of the post so I think he was fine with it. He also had very quick moves around the basket that allowed him to get his shots off in the paint (including his patented one handed "jumper" with those gigantic mitts he had for hands from about 5-8 out). He DID take a lot of jumpers but more so because his offensive game was well rounded for a big.

[R-DAWG]

at the end of the day, effectiveness is more important than explosiveness. If amare can adapt his game to getting older and not having as much explosiveness, he can continue to be just as effective. Look at Kobe, he can still finish with power when need be, but he is able to be a dominant player without relying on it. Can Amare develop a back to the basket game - maybe a baby fadeaway jumper, a running hook shot and another move? He has good hands, footwork, and a good touch and feel offensively.

At 6-11, 260 Amare has the size and strength to turn into a traditional back to the basket scorer. He should go spend a summer working with Ewing or another big man coach and developing that aspect of the game. Most of the problem with Amare is that the best coach he has played for in his career is Alvin Gentry. But moving on, Amare still has enough left to be a 20-10 guy on 50% shooting, he just needs to adapt his game, just like Kobe did