Knicks · Hallelujah! Amare OK with the bench (page 1)

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Sources: Amar'e OK with bench
By Ian Begley
Special to ESPNNewYork.com

Amar'e Stoudemire would accept a role as the New York Knicks' sixth man if asked of him, two sources with knowledge of Stoudemire's thinking told ESPNNewYork.com.
"All he cares about right now is helping the team and winning," one source, who has been around Stoudemire regularly in recent weeks, said. "He'd be fine with coming off the bench if that's what they want."

Stoudemire hasn't spoken with reporters since suffering a left knee injury in the preseason. He's been rehabilitating his knee following arthroscopic surgery for the past four weeks and is expected to miss at least another two weeks.
There has been speculation about what role Stoudemire will play once he returns.
Many believe Stoudemire would be a better fit coming off the bench for coach Mike Woodson's team. Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony have had a tough time developing cohesion on offense -- the Knicks have a losing record while the two stars are in the same starting lineup.
Both Anthony and Stoudemire are effective operating in isolation around the elbow, which is just one reason why they haven't had success while sharing the floor together.
Additionally, Stoudemire and Knicks starting center Tyson Chandler are seen by some as a bad match when paired together.
Chandler is the Knicks' primary screener on the pick-and-roll, a role Stoudemire has thrived throughout his career.
Woodson has been evasive when asked about Stoudemire's role once he returns. Woodson has said in the past his players wouldn't lose their starting roles because of injury. But Woodson also hasn't committed to re-inserting Stoudemire into the starting lineup.
"I'm going to address that when we get to that point," Woodson said last week. "Right now, I'm just taking it a day at a time and work the guys we have in uniform."

A source close to Stoudemire who has visited with the veteran power forward recently said Stoudemire wants to help the Knicks, who were 9-4 entering play Wednesday, and doesn't want to affect any chemistry the team has established.
"He just wants to win," the source says. "He sees how well they're playing and just wants to help. He'll be fine with whatever they want to do."
Woodson may choose to bring Stoudemire off the bench initially to help him work his way back into game shape. One league source says the Knicks are hesitant to take Jason Kidd out of the starting lineup to make room for Stoudemire.
Stoudemire, a 10-year veteran, is coming off a down year in which he averaged 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game -- the lowest full-season totals since his rookie season.
He worked diligently over the summer to regain his form, spending time with Hakeem Olajuwon to incorporate post moves into his offensive repertoire. Stoudemire was confident in the preseason he could bounce back this season. But he suffered a knee injury that originally was thought to be a bone bruise, but later diagnosed as a ruptured cyst in his left knee.
Stoudemire's left knee has been an issue in the past. He underwent microfracture surgery in October 2005, but bounced back well from the procedure.
One NBA team doctor told ESPNNewYork.com that Stoudemire was the best example of a player regaining his form after microfracture surgery.
Still, the procedure can be a red flag for teams. Stoudemire's contract with the Knicks -- five years, $100 million -- is uninsured because of his history of knee issues.
Ian Begley is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.

One 4 All! All 4 One!

Feeling much better about his arrival.

Amare is starting with a short leash. Keep em fresh

This would would be smart if only to start him back slow. Maybe they find it makes all their units unstoppable. I'd expect him to be open to it. He's got pride but I think he wants to win. We need him.

Amare in the pick and roll with Prigs would be devestating against second units.

I always knew Amar'e would be OK with the bench. He'll punch a fire extinguisher and grow three inches at age 28, but he'll never be a bad teammate.

He's a good guy.

CrushAlot wrote:Amare in the pick and roll with Prigs would be devestating against second units.

Just imagine him getting those passes Wallace and Copeland get.

This could be the best thing for Amare's career. Feasting on 2nd units will only prolong his Knicks lifespan.

Awesome, instant 6th man of the year candidate

I think he'd still end up finishing games with Melo against the tough teams but having someone to keep the scoring going when Melo sits is gonna be valuable. If Amare and Prigioni get that pick & roll down, then we'd basically be running a D'antoi offense with Novak, JR, and Sheed just hanging out at the 3 point line for a kick out.

TeamBall wrote:I think he'd still end up finishing games with Melo against the tough teams but having someone to keep the scoring going when Melo sits is gonna be valuable. If Amare and Prigioni get that pick & roll down, then we'd basically be running a D'antoi offense with Novak, JR, and Sheed just hanging out at the 3 point line for a kick out.

That is a scary thought.

In a good way!

I think Kidd's downtime could be a blessing in disguise for Prigi Smalls. He's 35, but still an NBA rookie. Getting extended minutes is instilling more confidence in Pablo, and less jittery dribbling around half court line type games.

If true then good team spirit from STAT!!!!!

ChuckBuck wrote:

TeamBall wrote:I think he'd still end up finishing games with Melo against the tough teams but having someone to keep the scoring going when Melo sits is gonna be valuable. If Amare and Prigioni get that pick & roll down, then we'd basically be running a D'antoi offense with Novak, JR, and Sheed just hanging out at the 3 point line for a kick out.

That is a scary thought.

In a good way!

I think Kidd's downtime could be a blessing in disguise for Prigi Smalls. He's 35, but still an NBA rookie. Getting extended minutes is instilling more confidence in Pablo, and less jittery dribbling around half court line type games.

Yeah I noticed Pablo just kinda gave up on bringing the ball up on some plays. He let JR and Felton bring it up and then got it back once we passed half court

Amare has played the best ball of his career at Center. He was both better offensively and defensively at center. The whole 2nd unit is perfect for his skill set with Priggs, Smith, Novak, Wallace, Amare. If Amare could produce 18pts as the feature of the bench and get open looks for Smith, Novak and Wallace then that would be a great 2nd unit.

But still we need Melo and Amare to both play well together at the end of the 4th quarter if we really want to win. And them playing well together all comes down to them hitting mid rang and outside jumpers consistently.

I rather see ray and amare...

ChuckBuck wrote:Prigi Smalls.

This just won post of the year in my book

Even if he comes off the bench he will likely finish out the game.

STAT has been a good guy since day one. I never once thought he'd be a problem so this isn't that surprising to hear. I still don't know what will be best for this team. I've seen STAT and Melo have great games together and IMO much of the time we're talking about both players have been coming back off injury or trying to work themselves back to form and with very little time to really develop any chemistry. I really don't believe we know for sure that STAT and Melo don't work together. I want to see it with this group of PG's before conceding to this notion. In any case working him back off the bench is not a bad idea.

I didn't think Amare would have a problem coming off the bench. Really doesn't matter who starts anyway....he'll be finishing games.

IronWillGiroud wrote:I always knew Amar'e would be OK with the bench. He'll punch a fire extinguisher and grow three inches at age 28, but he'll never be a bad teammate.

He's a good guy.

true, true. Amare is and has always been a team first kind of guy. Anyone who doubts should look back to when we acquired Melo. Dude totally took a back seat and to Melo after being THE MAN. That takes an extremely healthy ego for an Alpha Male like Amare knowing his own stats would take a hit.

All he wants to do is win and had NEVER made waves or brought drama to New York.

Stat sees how well the Knicks are doing these days and is smart to accept this possible new role. If the Knicks had gotten off to a bad start I don't believe he would be as willing to be benched because I'm sure Stat believes that he could help change that, which is normal.

The article cites "sources".......

Im sure Amare will be ok coming off the bench for a while to get into the groove.

We really celebrating this second hand "source" tidbit? Amare has not talked to the press since he went down.
Very unusual. Why are the knicks so damn weird about this stuff. What is so wrong with him just taking a minute to say the same crap in person:"The knee is coming along just fine and I expect to be back in a few weeks. Maybe two weeks, maybe 4. We gonna see how it is".

Media will ask questions. Maybe they don't want him answering them? Why? Is he done? Do they want to shut him down for the rest of the year, then evaluate? if so, they can apply for salary cap relief. Still have to pay him. He can't come back though, even for another team.

If this is possible then I can understand the hush-hush. KNicks don't like to talk about how stupid they were by ignoring Amare's problems and signing him to a 5 year deal. Im only speculating why the media black out on this.

My hope is Amare comes back and we get to see the athlete he can be!

Here's all I know. I'm ready to start seeing this stuff again: