I thought he'd still get his stats, but it would be harder for him. I also thought the team would suck overall and he'd be a malcontent by mid-season (still bet that'll happen). D'Antoni is pretty good at designing offensive plays though (especially inbounds plays) so it looks like he's found ways to get Amare the ball.
Still, the NY Knicks have had the easiest schedule in the league according to Hollinger's SOS stat. Let's see what happens to their record & team chemistry once they face a few tough opponents. Amare's already spoken out once about not being used to losing & that was while they were facing weak competition.
There's not a lot of comments/recurring themes on this message board that make me angry, but the idea of Amar'e being a malcontent is definitely one of them. I think the reason it irks me so much is that it's an argument that can only take place if you throw out logic and ignore all evidence. Amar'e was extremely impressive last season in the way he handled the incessant trade rumors. He had a couple subpar games, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort, it was because it's a lot of emotional pressure to be under going to bed at night knowing that you very well might be on a different team when you wake up. Even still, the team went on a road trip and he was back to playing at top form. And no matter how he was producing on the basketball court, he acted with incredible professionalism and his commitment to this team never wavered for as long as he was a Phoenix Sun. He didn't run his mouth in the press about being under-appreciated, despite being constantly goaded by the media to do so.
And if you want to talk about the comment that he made about being in a losing situation in New York, his comments were correct. The Knicks as an organization have had a culture where losing isn't so bad. Coming from a perrenial 50+ win Suns team, he said that he didn't feel there was that sense of disappointment and urgency in the lockerroom following a loss. He wasn't blaming anybody specifically - D'Antoni said Amar'e had the right idea, although he thought that Amar'e still should've used the word "we" rather than "guys" - he was saying that he recognized the need to change the culture of the organization that has developed over the last decade of mediocrity. D'Antoni has said that Amar'e has been a phenomenal leader, putting his arm around guys when they get down, being vocal, and also being willing to follow the other team leaders like Ray Felton when they have stuff to say.
So if you want to call Amar'e a malcontent, that's your perogative. Just know that when people respond by saying you're an idiot (like me: I'm saying you're either woefully misinformed, ignorant, or just a flat out imbecile), they at least can point to your stated opinions as evidence.
