Amaré expects to be ''100%''

[phxrising]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0929suns-ON.html



Associated Press
Sept. 29, 2006 04:01 PM


[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]PHOENIX - Amaré Stoudemire expects to be in the lineup when the Phoenix Suns open the season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 31.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Not only that, he expects to be as dominant as he was before knee surgery sidelined him for all but three games last season.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"That's what I'm striving for," Stoudemire said Friday. "So far, so good. The past few weeks, it's been improvement, so if it can just keep improving, keep getting stronger, I should be 100 percent, no doubt about it, by the first game of the season." [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The 24-year-old Stoudemire had microfracture surgery on his left knee last October, shortly after he signed a five-year, $73 million contract. He returned for three games in March but quickly abandoned the comeback. Wear and tear forced surgery on his right knee, and the forward spent the offseason rehabilitating.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Stoudemire's health dominated the talk at the team's annual media day, which marked the start of two long journeys.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The first began Friday. Immediately after their media session, the Suns left for Italy, where they will begin a 14-day trip that includes a preseason game in Rome and two more in Cologne, Germany.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The second journey begins Oct. 31, and the Suns hope it won't end until the NBA Finals.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire's prediction that he'll play in the opener is "realistic." But D'Antoni also believes the team will be deeper with the return of defense-oriented forward Kurt Thomas, who missed 29 games and nearly all the playoffs with a stress fracture in his right foot, and with newcomers Marcus Banks and Jumaine Jones.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"We're a better team in every way that you want to put it," said D'Antoni, himself recovering from offseason knee surgery.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Even without Stoudemire, the Suns breezed to the Pacific Division title last season and advanced to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive time.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"There's no use lying," D'Antoni said. "We think we're one of the top four teams, and we should play for a title, and that should be our goal whether we get there or not. Obviously, what is this, 38 years and we haven't gotten one here, so it's not going to be easy.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"We're going to need some luck down the stretch and everybody kind of fit together. We've got to get Amaré over the hump of coming back. He's got until Oct. 31 for the first test, and then after that we'll see."[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]If Stoudemire returns at full strength, he could be the piece the Suns need to end their season with a victory parade down Central Avenue.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The 6-foot-10 Stoudemire's game is based on explosiveness, and his athleticism made him a good fit in D'Antoni's up-tempo offense. Stoudemire has averaged 19.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in three-plus NBA seasons.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In Stoudemire's last action before the microfracture surgery, he put up 37.0 points per game against San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Point guard Steve Nash, whose flowing hair was shorn over the summer, said it may take time for the Suns to adjust to Stoudemire, and vice versa.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"It's a different team than two years ago," Nash said. "He hasn't played with this team. It's a little touchy. In the past he's been a dominant player, and we've been a dominant team, so we have to make the two complement each other."[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Suns won't count on Stoudemire until he proves his knees can stand up to the day-in, day-out grind of the NBA. Stoudemire believes he's ready. He recently underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam to allay concerns about his right knee. Everything checked out, and Stoudemire said he practiced without pain last week.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"I'm going all out," Stoudemire said. "I"m doing moves that I've been doing pre-injury. The strength is getting back and the agility is definitely coming back."[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Asked to assess his status, Stoudemire replied, "Right now, I think I'm at a cool 80 percent. I'm feeling very strong and confident with where I stand."[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But he conceded he won't know if he's ready until he tests the knee in games.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"I'm definitely anxious, man," Stoudemire said. "Once I step on the court in a real, organized game, the butterflies will get to going, and once I get used to playing again, that's when it will all start to flow as water."[/FONT]

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[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Well he's saying everything I want to hear, lets just hope it all true [/FONT]

 

[jandaman]

Physically, he should be healthy.

Its the mentality hurdles that he needs to get over. Hesitating, thinking too much about his knees would be detrimental to his game. But I think a few games, he should be over it and confidence should come back... as if he lost any anyways... but just thinking about his knees while playing ... thats his main obstacle.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

A couple Dunks smashing Mihm and in Martin's "Sheneneh" look alike ass Kwame Brown and Amare's mental will be cool! Oct 31ast opening day against the Lakers

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[pokerface]

Ahhh...the annual hype just before the season starts. Time to sell season tickets again. His statements would have been more believable had he not thrown around the old "100%" jabber thats been hashed and rehashed...kinda like his well used "I'm getting my explosiveness back" talk. Seeing is believing Amare. I dont care if his statements are underlined, bold and everything else....I want to see him on the court for two weeks to a month before I make ANY assumptions about Amare.

 

[pokerface]

Physically, he should be healthy.

Its the mentality hurdles that he needs to get over. Hesitating, thinking too much about his knees would be detrimental to his game. But I think a few games, he should be over it and confidence should come back... as if he lost any anyways... but just thinking about his knees while playing ... thats his main obstacle.

Uhh...What do you mean by healthy? If you mean no problem whatsoever in either knee he may not be "healthy" yet. Some microfracture cases take up to 18 months post surgery to fully recover from....

 

[boisesuns]

So wasn't he 75% When he came back? only 5% since then????

 

[Joe Mama]

So wasn't he 75% When he came back? only 5% since then????

I was thinking the same thing.

I'm not the microfracture pessimist that pokerface is, but articles like this make me cringe. I know this is a very different situation from Hardaway. However, I can't help the feeling of déjà vu because we've been hearing a lot of the same since last spring.

Joe

 

[JS22]

Flashback!

"I should be 100 percent, no doubt about it, by the first game of the season."

You must be registered for see images

 

[carey]

Amare is even wearing no. 1 now.

 

[Chaplin]

I was thinking the same thing.

I'm not the microfracture pessimist that pokerface is, but articles like this make me cringe. I know this is a very different situation from Hardaway. However, I can't help the feeling of déjà vu because we've been hearing a lot of the same since last spring.

Joe

So what? Everyone complains about what he says, I'm curious what everyone WANTS him to say. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just honestly wondering why everyone complains so much when any article comes out. I suppose he could just stay silent, but people would complain about that also. I'm just wondering what everybody wants him to say, if the above is so bad.

I cringe when I hear about Penny as well, but this is a totally different situation.

 

[basketballfan]

So what? Everyone complains about what he says, I'm curious what everyone WANTS him to say. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just honestly wondering why everyone complains so much when any article comes out. I suppose he could just stay silent, but people would complain about that also. I'm just wondering what everybody wants him to say, if the above is so bad.

I cringe when I hear about Penny as well, but this is a totally different situation.

Very well put.

 

[Mainstreet]

I couldn't resist. My quick take on the situation is that the knee that had microfracture seems to be just fine. At least Amare does not seem to have any complaint with it and he actually seems to emphasize this point. So IMO the real issue since the latter part of last season is the right knee which was drained, scoped and cleaned out. I think I got the knees right.

So unless the right knee needs major surgery or such (like microfracture), physically he should be near as 100% as he can be under the circumstances (less game conditioning). Now when he reaches this point mentally, where he able to accept this, is another question.

My darkest fear is that the doctors have missed something in the right knee. But I then keep telling myself the doctors were already inside that right knee and multiple MRI's have been completed and no significant issues were found. He has also seen more than one specialist and even has his own trainer. They should hopefully know... right?

I guess it's just hard for me to fathom how Amare can be much less than 100% physically (for a player that has experienced these type problems/ less game conditioning) unless the doctors are wrong... very wrong.

Actually, I'm just hoping Amare is just having trouble mentally letting go on the court. I think we all know of players that continue to wear knee braces or sleeves when healthy (or even face masks) because they want the mental well being these devices bring. If this is the case, then Amare will probably find his confidence level again.

So now I pronounce the post-injury Amare nearly 100% physically unless again, those doctors are wrong... very, very wrong about the right knee.

Therefore, getting into game condition should be the only real physical issue for Amare right now by my logic.

 

[pokerface]

So what? Everyone complains about what he says, I'm curious what everyone WANTS him to say. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just honestly wondering why everyone complains so much when any article comes out. I suppose he could just stay silent, but people would complain about that also. I'm just wondering what everybody wants him to say, if the above is so bad.

I cringe when I hear about Penny as well, but this is a totally different situation.

I tell you this much...what I DON'T want to hear out of any of thier mouths is throwing around terms like "100%" healthy. Thats a red flag term that should make anyone instantly suspicious. Then he says "no doubt about it" that he'll be 100% by the first of the season. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT?? How can he say that when the season is only one month away and he considers himself 80% now. Plus like another poster said, didn't Amare say he was 75% at the end of last season? So he only acheived another 5% improvement over the summer?

Sometimes I wonder if Amare is being told what to say for public consumption. He's talking some of the same lingo like these others have been saying. All I know is we've been lied to enough....seeing is believing anything else is smoke and mirrors.

 

[George O'Brien]

Until he plays in real games, we won't know how far along Amare is. This percentages stuff is just silly.

During summer league, Amare was clearly not feeling that good and was not in shape, but he destroyed the opposition. In the USA camp, he was feeling better and was considered a threat to make the squad even though he was not in condidition. Now he is playing without swelling, jumping off his microfracture leg, making windmill jams, and moving around reasonably well.

All this is nice, but the big deal will be when gets into real games. My guess is that what it will take for Amare to get to the next level is having real opponents. He is incredibly competative and probably needs the heat of battle to finally stop thinking about his knees.

 

[pokerface]

They just want everyone to be puppets..."Believe what we're telling you now" kind of garbage. Yeah believe you now...forget what you said in the past. Sad thing is a good percentage of the fans out there are willing participants....they want to believe.

They started this grand lie when they said Amare would be playing 4-5 months after surgery. That was a HUGE lie. Then "we won't bring him back unless he's 100%". So if we were to take them for thier word Amare should already be 100% when they first brought him back last season. Now we're being fed more 100% talk....I swear they have no shame....they feed us the same lies over and over again.

I'm glad someone brought up Penny. True Penny's condition was more severe BUT if anyone remembers those times we were fed lies about his condition as well. Thats when I first starting having trust issues with the Suns organization. We were misled about his original surgery then about return dates. Jerry looked like a big liar over that....usually the biggest lies come out of their mouths in the offseason when its time to start selling season tickets again.

Maybe I'll buy season tickets AFTER this season....they got a lot of proving to do first!

 

[Errntknght]

Chaplin, "Everyone complains about what he says, I'm curious what everyone WANTS him to say. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just honestly wondering why everyone complains so much when any article comes out."

I know what I'd like to hear say... something like, "Its a long, up and down process but I'm making progress overall. The main thing is that I'm working on all aspects of my game and the team game as well - passing, shooting, blocking out, defensive positioning, going left as well as right, free throws, head fakes, jab fakes... You name it and I'm working on it! Even if I'm never as explosive as I used to be I'm going to be an even better player!"

Of course, you won't find many people saying this sort of thing because it is not what they want to hear. Lets face it, most fans are highlight junkies and don't really care much about the unglamorous team game. Don't you remember all the crap I got before Amare's knee problems when I talked about him expanding his game - all they wanted was to see Amare dunking in people's faces.

So, in fact, Amare is saying exactly what they want to hear - unfortunately he's said the same thing over and over only to have it become obvious he hadn't come back very far. On top of that there is the parallel with Penny - however different the underlying realities may be, on the surface it is disconcertingly similar.

 

[Mainstreet]

They started this grand lie when they said Amare would be playing 4-5 months after surgery. That was a HUGE lie. Then "we won't bring him back unless he's 100%". So if we were to take them for thier word Amare should already be 100% when they first brought him back last season. Now we're being fed more 100% talk....I swear they have no shame....they feed us the same lies over and over again.

Pokerface, I agree with you on a lot of issues, however, I must disagree with you about the "Huge lie" theory.

I think Amare could have returned last season if not for problems with his right knee. Now you can say that the problems with the knee that received the microfracture begat the problems with the other knee, but I am beginning to wonder.

I guess only time will tell, however, I'm just hoping that the right knee does not have serious problem of it's own. From all the reports I've read, the knee that received the microfracture did not prevent Amare from returning and playing well last season (and is not a problem thus far this season).

Again, one can make the argument the right knee was compromised by the overcompensation because of the microfracture to the other knee... but again I'm beginning to wonder if the knee did not already have separate issues of it's own.

 

[pokerface]

Pokerface, I agree with you on a lot of issues, however, I must disagree with you about the "Huge lie" theory.

I think Amare could have returned last season if not for problems with his right knee. Now you can say that the problems with the knee that received the microfracture begat the problems with the other knee, but I am beginning to wonder.

I guess only time will tell, however, I'm just hoping that the right knee does not have serious problem of it's own. From all the reports I've read, the knee that received the microfracture did not prevent Amare from returning and playing well last season (and is not a problem thus far this season).

Again, one can make the argument the right knee was compromised by the overcompensation because of the microfracture to the other knee... but again I'm beginning to wonder if the knee did not already have separate issues of it's own.

Mainstreet I'm going to tell you why it was a huge lie....

1) How many NBA players have comeback in playing form 4-5 months from microfracture....I cant think of any

2) How many players have comeback "100%" in 5 months.....I'll make bold statement here and say ZERO.

So for them to say Amare will be back in 4-5 months and be 100% on top of it (because they said they wouldnt bring him back unless he's 100%) seems to me to be a blatant lie. If you look around at players that came back it usually took 9-12 months for them to even be playing....for them to be anywhere near 100% it took them about 18 months. I thought Zach Randolph took that long to fully recover.

Now as to why Amares other knee acted up....While it cant be proven I say there it a direct correlation between his rehab and his degeneration of his "good" knee. Amare was given a unrealistic recovery timetable to live up to which I believe lead to overcompensation on his good knee. Remember Amare giving reports on how he was "ahead of schedule" in rehabbing? I believe for him to get "ahead" of schedule he overworked his good knee in the process to give the illusion of being on track. He thought he was ahead of schedule until his first games back then realized he was actually behind schedule. Bottomline for Amare to return in 4-5 months time he most likely overworked his good knee.

 

[Chaplin]

What pokerface doesn't understand is that the microfractured knee WAS fine 5 months later. He hasn't had any problems on that left knee since March. That is a fact, and nothing reported since has refuted it.

His problem came from those 3 games, and his RIGHT knee. All his MRIs that everyone has thought were "trouble" (and not strictly procedural) were on his right knee.

So all this bull about lying is just that: BULL.

 

[Chaplin]

Chaplin, "Everyone complains about what he says, I'm curious what everyone WANTS him to say. I'm not trying to argue, I'm just honestly wondering why everyone complains so much when any article comes out."

I know what I'd like to hear say... something like, "Its a long, up and down process but I'm making progress overall. The main thing is that I'm working on all aspects of my game and the team game as well - passing, shooting, blocking out, defensive positioning, going left as well as right, free throws, head fakes, jab fakes... You name it and I'm working on it! Even if I'm never as explosive as I used to be I'm going to be an even better player!"

Of course, you won't find many people saying this sort of thing because it is not what they want to hear. Lets face it, most fans are highlight junkies and don't really care much about the unglamorous team game. Don't you remember all the crap I got before Amare's knee problems when I talked about him expanding his game - all they wanted was to see Amare dunking in people's faces.

So, in fact, Amare is saying exactly what they want to hear - unfortunately he's said the same thing over and over only to have it become obvious he hadn't come back very far. On top of that there is the parallel with Penny - however different the underlying realities may be, on the surface it is disconcertingly similar.

Sound like trying to find things where they don't exist. He has talked nonstop about working on different aspects of his game. I hope you don't ignore that. The only reason everyone is comparing him to Penny is because of the mentioning of percentages.

I don't think there's anything wrong with any player being confident in their return. And remember, having Penny with 2 arthritic knees saying, "I'll come back 100%" is a lot different than Amare saying it.

 

[Chaplin]

They just want everyone to be puppets..."Believe what we're telling you now" kind of garbage. Yeah believe you now...forget what you said in the past. Sad thing is a good percentage of the fans out there are willing participants....they want to believe.

They started this grand lie when they said Amare would be playing 4-5 months after surgery. That was a HUGE lie. Then "we won't bring him back unless he's 100%". So if we were to take them for thier word Amare should already be 100% when they first brought him back last season. Now we're being fed more 100% talk....I swear they have no shame....they feed us the same lies over and over again.

I'm glad someone brought up Penny. True Penny's condition was more severe BUT if anyone remembers those times we were fed lies about his condition as well. Thats when I first starting having trust issues with the Suns organization. We were misled about his original surgery then about return dates. Jerry looked like a big liar over that....usually the biggest lies come out of their mouths in the offseason when its time to start selling season tickets again.

Maybe I'll buy season tickets AFTER this season....they got a lot of proving to do first!

They don't CARE whether you believe it or not. That's where you're missing the point of everything. Why is it so bad that he has confidence in himself? He may be wrong, nobody is saying he's completely right. I mean, the best that everyone else can say (and they do), is "that sounds like it's possible" (D'Antoni).

The problem is that you read way too much in things. And then fly off the deep end with your interpretations.

Now you're talking about them having a lot of proving to do before you grace them with your presence at games? They've made it to the West Finals 2 years in a row, and have improved the team.

 

[pokerface]

What pokerface doesn't understand is that the microfractured knee WAS fine 5 months later. He hasn't had any problems on that left knee since March. That is a fact, and nothing reported since has refuted it.

His problem came from those 3 games, and his RIGHT knee. All his MRIs that everyone has thought were "trouble" (and not strictly procedural) were on his right knee.

So all this bull about lying is just that: BULL.

What Chaplin fails to realize is Amare babied his micro'd knee because it wasnt ready to handle all the speeded up rehab. He ended up wearing out his good knee compensating. Its all related...they arn't seperate...they're intertwined. He burns up his good knee because microfracture isnt intended to be rehabbed in a speedy fashion....especially not for a pro athlete of Amares calibar.

They said he would be ready and 100% in 4-5 months. He obviously wasnt. I said when they frist made that prediction that it was irresponsible and he wouldnt be ready. I knew that because I dont drink Suns koolaid and I've seen other micro cases and read what therapists had to say.

 

[Chaplin]

You said the Suns lied. How can they have lied if his microfractured knee was fine? They never said that overcompensation wouldn't be a problem. In fact, they never mentioned it at all.

I'd like to see your link to where the Suns said he would be 100% in 4-5 months. I know they said they will try to see where he is in 4-5 months and it will be up to him whether to go or not, assuming there were no problems with the microfractured knee. And there wasn't.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Thank you, thank you Chap.

I am getting so sick of these lame conspiracy theories.

 

[George O'Brien]

You mean the microfractured comspiracy theories?

Somehow the negative reactions to statements has become weird.

1. Amare thinks he'll be 100% by the start of the season. Since Penny said similar stuff, this means Amare is going to be like Penny.

2. D'Antoni makes very cautious statements and points out that the Suns can be successful even if Amare is not ready. This is taken to be proof that he knows Amare is damaged goods.

The definition of a true "conspiracy theory" is that all evidence is used to confirme the theory and any evidence that doesn't fit just proves a wider conspiracy.