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East Valley Tribune: McDyess, Lampe to Get More Playing Time
By Mike Tulumello
East Valley Tribune
March 24, 2004
Here is one of the most basic, yet important, jobs of a coach:
Ride the guys who are playing well and deemphasize the role of those who aren’t.
And so, as the Suns head into their final big road trip, coach Mike D’Antoni is planning to give extended time to veteran Antonio McDyess and rookie Maciej Lampe. But he didn’t say much about Zarko Cabarkapa, the rookie who often has struggled lately.
When the Suns are healthy, it’s all but impossible to give all three of these forwards playing time in the same game.
But a recent foot injury to center Jake Voskuhl gave McDyess his opening. Meanwhile, Lampe is starting to show signs he belongs.
Both contributed to the Suns’ blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, so both figure to play tonight in Cleveland. In fact, D’Antoni plans to start McDyess as a nominal center tonight.
For more coverage of Phoenix sports,
be sure to visit eastvalleytribune.com
Until the past two games, McDyess hadn’t been playing at all, leaving the former All-Star — who will be a free agent this summer — to wonder about his future.
McDyess wasn’t sure whether the Suns had crossed him out of their future entirely, or whether they were trying to hide him from playing so other teams couldn’t see how much progress he’s making after coming back from serious knee problems. Suns officials, after all, can always watch him in practice.
"I still don’t know," McDyess said of his situation.
"One minute I’m not playing, one minute I’m starting."
At least now that he’s playing again, "I feel a lot better. . . . I got the opportunity. I just wanted to step up to the plate."
As for Lampe, he had a career-high 17 points vs. the Bucks. But what got the attention of some observers is that the Polish-born big man appeared to know what he was doing on defense, and he actually passed the ball, an aspect of the game that’s been a novelty for him.
In his first 72 minutes this season, a full game-and-ahalf, he’d "piled up" one assist. He had two in 26 minutes vs. the Bucks. By contrast, he has put up 45 shots (making an even 40 percent) in his 98 minutes of NBA action.
"It’s nice to score points," D’Antoni said. "But he has to play well even when he’s not shooting well.
"Somewhere along the way, he needs to learn to pass the ball."
"We need him to keep working and keep getting older."
Asked about passing the ball, Lampe smiled and said, "I try."
But he left little doubt that he considers himself to be "a big man who can shoot the ball."
He does, and he will, often.
By Mike Tulumello
East Valley Tribune
March 24, 2004
Here is one of the most basic, yet important, jobs of a coach:
Ride the guys who are playing well and deemphasize the role of those who aren’t.
And so, as the Suns head into their final big road trip, coach Mike D’Antoni is planning to give extended time to veteran Antonio McDyess and rookie Maciej Lampe. But he didn’t say much about Zarko Cabarkapa, the rookie who often has struggled lately.
When the Suns are healthy, it’s all but impossible to give all three of these forwards playing time in the same game.
But a recent foot injury to center Jake Voskuhl gave McDyess his opening. Meanwhile, Lampe is starting to show signs he belongs.
Both contributed to the Suns’ blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, so both figure to play tonight in Cleveland. In fact, D’Antoni plans to start McDyess as a nominal center tonight.
For more coverage of Phoenix sports,
be sure to visit eastvalleytribune.com
Until the past two games, McDyess hadn’t been playing at all, leaving the former All-Star — who will be a free agent this summer — to wonder about his future.
McDyess wasn’t sure whether the Suns had crossed him out of their future entirely, or whether they were trying to hide him from playing so other teams couldn’t see how much progress he’s making after coming back from serious knee problems. Suns officials, after all, can always watch him in practice.
"I still don’t know," McDyess said of his situation.
"One minute I’m not playing, one minute I’m starting."
At least now that he’s playing again, "I feel a lot better. . . . I got the opportunity. I just wanted to step up to the plate."
As for Lampe, he had a career-high 17 points vs. the Bucks. But what got the attention of some observers is that the Polish-born big man appeared to know what he was doing on defense, and he actually passed the ball, an aspect of the game that’s been a novelty for him.
In his first 72 minutes this season, a full game-and-ahalf, he’d "piled up" one assist. He had two in 26 minutes vs. the Bucks. By contrast, he has put up 45 shots (making an even 40 percent) in his 98 minutes of NBA action.
"It’s nice to score points," D’Antoni said. "But he has to play well even when he’s not shooting well.
"Somewhere along the way, he needs to learn to pass the ball."
"We need him to keep working and keep getting older."
Asked about passing the ball, Lampe smiled and said, "I try."
But he left little doubt that he considers himself to be "a big man who can shoot the ball."
He does, and he will, often.
