Big trouble in little Pheonix

[gsuteke]

i am going to love seeing the Suns go down in flames

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Suns to Stoudemire: Shape up or sit out

By Craig Morgan, Tribune

October 18, 2006

Two weeks ago in Italy, Mike D’Antoni and Amaré Stoudemire had what amounted to a father-son chat. There was no wine offered. Just a simple message endorsed by owner Robert Sarver: If you don’t dedicate yourself to this team 100 percent, you won’t be playing. Stoudemire had just skipped another workout, complaining of pain in both surgically repaired knees.

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“Mike had had enough,” said a source familiar with the situation.

Two weeks have passed and Stoudemire has not missed a workout or complained of pain in his knees since. Coincidence? Hardly.

But if you think the star forward is now a model citizen who just needs to hone his conditioning and timing, think again.

Stoudemire’s biggest hurdle in his comeback attempt may have less to do with rust and more to do with the jersey number he is wearing this season — No. 1 — and all the attitude that it embodies. As a matter of coincidence, it is the same number microfracture poster child Penny Hardaway wore in Phoenix.

For those keeping score, Stoudemire played 18 minutes in Tuesday’s exhibition loss to the Clippers, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, missing on all four free throw attempts and a pair of spin moves in the lane.

For those watching closely, there were periods of lack of interest and periods of coasting. Normal fare for a preseason game, maybe, but not for a guy who needs every minute of practice time he can get after sitting out most of the 2005-06 season.

Speaking of practice, some within the organization felt Stoudemire attended Tuesday’s shootaround in body only. The mind was elsewhere.

So where does this leave the Suns as they head into a pivotal season for this incarnation of the franchise?

In one heck of a pickle.

If Stoudemire gets back to 100 percent, it’s easy. Most figure the Suns as championship material and the chemistry will come in time.

But if he’s not 100 percent — physically or mentally — what does D’Antoni do?

Does he use him as sixth man and wait patiently for him to regain his former glory?

Does he bog down a team that established its own identity in his absence in advancing to the Western Conference finals?

Can he afford to do either given the brutal start to the Suns’ schedule, which includes two games against the Clippers and one each against San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis in the first seven?

“It’s a little touchy,” said guard Steve Nash, who made it clear last season that the Amaré-less Suns were an unselfish, fluid and fun bunch to conduct.

Nobody knows if Stoudemire will rewind the clock to 2004, or if he will stay healthy the entire season.

Although the left knee will eventually need more work because microfracture is a temporary fix, not a solution, Suns doctor Tom Carter thinks the right knee will be a greater immediate issue because Stoudemire has chronic arthritis in it.

“He’s going to have to cope with periodic flare-ups,” Carter said.

And when he does, the Suns will have to walk a fine line between babying and bullying him.

“People can say what they want but nobody knows what kind of pain I have in my body but me,” Stoudemire said. “Nobody knows what I can and can’t do but me.”

Time is running out for Stoudemire and the Suns to find the answer to that latter puzzle.

Soon, D’Antoni will have to dust off his best Bono and tell Stoudemire the Suns are ready to move on: “With or without you.”

[TheNorthCydeRises]

GSU, you should know better when it comes to the Suns.

They have the perfect offensive system. And that system almost guarantees that they'll win 45+ games a year.

That team isn't going down in flames if Amare isn't up to par. They pretty much proved that last year.

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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GSU, you should know better when it comes to the Suns.

They have the perfect offensive system. And that system almost guarantees that they'll win 45+ games a year.

That team isn't going down in flames if Amare isn't up to par. They pretty much proved that last year.

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Northcyde you should also know better when it comes to the Suns.

they are one reaggravated back injury away from being a below average squad.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

That's wishful thinking though.

You could say that about every team that has a superstar guard.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

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That's wishful thinking though.

You could say that about every team that has a superstar guard.

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I think Amare will never be the same and the Suns (while entertaining) are going to sink soon. Nash will start showing his age soon. You combine that with Amare's injury, and you have a Suns team that has a very short lived prime.

[Weez]

the rub is that if they're 'waiting and trying' to continually incorporate Amare and he's not up to standards/ doesn't mix well...it WILL hurt the team.

This is a well documented phenomena that occurs when a team learns to play without a player (a 'critical/integral' one) ~ then that player returns but is out of rhythm and timing with what the team has been doing...to the entire team's detriment.

While it may not sound logical, the statements in the article title about 'integrate or bench' are somehwat accurate. Case in point ~ the Kings a few years back when Webber returned just in time for the playoffs ~ they looked awful (and had previously been on a great role).

It'll be interesting to see how it's handled in Phoenix given the success that the team had last year without Amare and given the 'new guys' such as Diaw who are soon to be up for contract negotiations.

[gutz]

Yeah the Suns aren't that smart when they sign Amare to that huge extension worth millions of dollars then a week later the guy is having Microfracture surgery on his knees. Your never the same after that surgery period. Just ask Chris Webber! I hope the Suns go down in flames too!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

But there's a big difference in trying to incorporate him back into his previous role ( talking about Amare ), and hoping and wishing that the Suns will fall off.

Kurt Thomas hardly played for them last year. He's at best an adequate center in this league. And a lot of you are forgetting about last year's X-factor . . . Boris Diaw.

As much as people don't like to see him prosper in Phoenix, it's not out of the question to see Diaw actually RAISE his level of play this year, and become even more of an offensive weapon for that team.

He's the point forward/center on that team, and that alone takes some of the pressure off of Nash.

I made the mistake last year of saying that Phoenix would fall off without Amare. I won't make that same mistake this year.

Question: If Phoenix is due to fall off, who in the West is honestly better than them . . or are on the rise to take their place?

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No answers to this question yet.

I wonder why?

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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No answers to this question yet.

I wonder why?

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because we don't like you.

really.

San Antonio

Dallas

Denver

Lakers

Clippers

i'm probably forgetting somebody

[mrhonline]

It will be interesting to see how Houston fares with a healthy Ming, McGrady, Wells, and Battier, too.

Still, I don't want to see the Suns struggle because of an injury to Amare. What's worse, they're going to have to trade one of Diaw & Marion to keep under the luxury tax.