Benching someone for the first time who has been a starter for almost their entire career is a big deal and Woodson knows it. It may not mean a big difference in minutes but its a point of pride to be a starter and I think Woodson wants to make sure that Stat buys into the reasoning before making that decision. Would make the transition a lot easier if it comes to that. Won't know if its necessary until Stat has some games under his belt.
“I can’t think about what happened before I took over. As a coach, I feel good about both of them playing together on the court at the same time. That’s not going to change.”
“I’m going to address that when we get to that point. I’m going to work the guys we have in uniform.”
- Mike Woodson
The guys we have in uniform.
Is Brewer going to get the axe when Shump comes back?
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8654...New York is scoring 112.3 points per 100 possessions with Melo on the floor and just 101.4 when he sits, per NBA.com. The first number would lead the league by a mile; the second number is about league average.This is the obvious place for Stoudemire, the guy who can prop up the offense for 12-15 minutes a night when Melo sits. New York's pile of aging, defense-first centers would allow Stoudemire to fill this role without also playing center, which is untenable defensively. It's also possible to slot Stoudemire a few non-Chandler minutes per night with Anthony at small forward and Rasheed Wallace acting as a spot-up center. That's not ideal, but it can work in small doses.
Unless STAT/Chandler/Melo show they've somehow figured it out who cares if Amare is a backup as long as he's helping the team win?
I'm sure STAT would rather help the team win as a bench player then cause us to lose as a starter.
