Lampe Back at work

[thegrahamcrackr]

From Suns.com

By Steven Koek, Suns.com
Posted: May 18, 2004
Maciej Lampe has backed off on his season-ending bravado that he will be the Suns’ starting center when the 2004-05 season tips off in November. However, if the 6-11 Polish-born big man keeps up the pace he has started in his offseason conditioning, anything is possible.

“I want to play,” Lampe said. “I’m not saying I’m going to start next season or play as many minutes. I’m just going to do my best and see how far I can go.”

After a brief but relaxing trip to Mexico, Lampe is back in Phoenix to work with strength and conditioning coach Casey Smith in getting his body in the kind of shape the rigors of the NBA schedule require.

“We’re trying to get my body in better shape,” he said. “That’s mostly what I need so I can play better defense and rebound the ball. I’m going to spend a lot of time working with Casey, working on weights, on the strength and on my feet to get quicker. I need to lose some fat and gain some muscles.”

With Zarko Cabarkapa and Leandro Barbosa also having reported for offseason duty, Mike D’Antoni is pleased to see the summer of hard work has already begun.

“This is going to be a crucial summer for them,” the head coach said. “They’ve got to establish themselves a place to play, in the sense that they have to carve out a niche to where they’re comfortable and get some minutes next year. It’s not going to be easy, so they need to work all summer.”

D’Antoni is hoping Lampe’s skills and his incredible confidence will add up to an offseason where the two can be combined to form a force in the Suns’ middle.

“That’s why he’s here,” said D’Antoni. “It’s good to have confidence. If he backs it up with work, then that’s fine, and he seems to be doing that. You can say you’re going to play, but then you’ve got to back it up. He said he’s going to work all summer and be a factor next year, so we’ll see.”

Lampe was drafted by the Knicks in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft (30th overall) and came to Phoenix as part of the Suns’ blockbuster January trade with New York. Already a worldwide traveler at the age of 19, Lampe has played in Spain and Sweden, and was originally hesitant to come to America to test his skills at the sport’s highest level.

“I think I did the right thing coming over here,” he said. “Maybe in the beginning I had doubts. I thought maybe I should have stayed in Europe. I think in the long run, it was better that I came here. I have developed my game a lot. I have built my body up better than I would have in Europe, for sure.”

As he labors this summer to build up his body even more and continues to develop his basketball skills, Lampe can look back on his rookie season as a period of growth and adjustment. After not getting any playing time with the Knicks before the trade, he became the youngest player in Suns franchise history to appear in a regular season game on Jan. 23.

“It’s much different than Europe,” he said of the NBA game. “The crowd, the players. After not playing, you’re kind of nervous and you haven’t really played in a game, five-on-five, too much except for practice, so it’s kind of different. I was very nervous the first couple of times. I was trying to do the right thing and I also wanted to show people what I could do out there. It’s hard to explain, but I was very nervous.”

Through his nerves and a lack of playing time, Lampe’s confidence remained high. He knows it’s just a matter of time and experience before he begins to display his talent on a consistent basis.

“I never thought that I couldn’t play here,” he said. “Now I feel more and more comfortable on the court. I want to continue to get better and better. I need to play harder and keep on developing my game. I’m looking so forward to next season. I want to be a big part of this team.”

In addition to the promise he feels he holds to be a solid player in the league, Lampe is thrilled to be on a Suns team with so much promise for the future.

“I think we can be a great team,” he said. “We just have to keep on working. Next year we’re going to bring some people in and we’re going to be a very good team. The year after that, we should be very, very good. We’ve just got to keep working hard and I think that good things will happen.”

 

[Chaplin]

I love this team.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Has anyone else noticed that in every interview people mention that more help is going to be coming in? I guess it is normal to assume it, but I think it might be an indicator the suns definitely don't plan on sitting on their space this summer.

 

[JerkFace]

when i first heard about the trade of marbury i hated it, then i found out that lampe was part of the deal and it made me feel much better. i think lampe has all the physical and mental tools to be a great player.

 

[George O'Brien]

when i first heard about the trade of marbury i hated it, then i found out that lampe was part of the deal and it made me feel much better. i think lampe has all the physical and mental tools to be a great player.

I had the same reaction. When I first heard rumors of the trade, Lampe was not mentioned but when it was confirmed he was included I switched positions. A year ago several mock drafts had him going as high as the #5 pick in what is considered to have been a stronger draft than this year.

I'm encouraged to hear he is focused on strength and footwork. If he stays with it, he could make an impact next season.

 

[Goldfield]

Its good to hear Lampe is working to improve his defense & rebounding. Like to hear that out of our bigman.

 

[Dr. Dumas]

Has anyone else noticed that in every interview people mention that more help is going to be coming in? I guess it is normal to assume it, but I think it might be an indicator the suns definitely don't plan on sitting on their space this summer.

I hope that all of the young ones feel like the Suns are going to be bringing in new blood. This can only result in players working hard all summer long to improve, so that they will not lose minutes next season to new players.

 

[F-Dog]

 

[Dylan]

Suns.com had an article where they say Lampe is 240 lbs.
He sure looks more than that.. I've heard 240 , 250, 270...
Has anyone ever heard a definitive number by the Suns, or Lampe
himself? He doesn't look 270 either. But he said in the article he had to
lose some fat, so a 6'11 guy who needs to lose some fat must be
pretty heavy! More than 240.

 

[Joe Mama]

Suns.com had an article where they say Lampe is 240 lbs.
He sure looks more than that.. I've heard 240 , 250, 270...
Has anyone ever heard a definitive number by the Suns, or Lampe
himself? He doesn't look 270 either. But he said in the article he had to
lose some fat, so a 6'11 guy who needs to lose some fat must be
pretty heavy! More than 240.

Unless he's lost some weight there is no way Lampe weighs anything less than 255-260 pounds.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

Unless he's lost some weight there is no way Lampe weighs anything less than 255-260 pounds.

Joe Mama

These size figures nba.com uses are a farce. D'Antoni and Mark West both used the 275 figure after he was acquired. It is the right weight, just not enough of it is muscle.

 

[Dylan]

6'11 and 275, when it does get in shape and is muscle, is excellent.
That would make him one of the heavier centers, not the real bigs
like Shaq and Jahidi, but in the level below. I think Big Jake was supposedly
around 275, and Lampe is 2-3 inches shorter. Man, if he does get in shape,
like he is trying, and with that shot, and his toughness, we might
really really have something. Big, strong, moves well, and can shoot,
something Phoenix has NEVER seen in a Suns uniform.

 

[George O'Brien]

6'11 and 275, when it does get in shape and is muscle, is excellent.
That would make him one of the heavier centers, not the real bigs
like Shaq and Jahidi, but in the level below. I think Big Jake was supposedly
around 275, and Lampe is 2-3 inches shorter. Man, if he does get in shape,
like he is trying, and with that shot, and his toughness, we might
really really have something. Big, strong, moves well, and can shoot,
something Phoenix has NEVER seen in a Suns uniform.

It was widely speculated that Lampe may grow another couple of inches over the next few years. As he becomes better conditioned he should be a good shot blocker and low post defender. It is all about desire.

 

[Errntknght]

George, "As he becomes better conditioned he should be a good shot blocker and low post defender. It is all about desire."

Conditioning and gaining strength will help but he's got a serious handicap playing for the Suns - he's got no one to practice against and, after watching Jake and Amare defend, I'd have to say he isn't going to get much help from the coaching staff. I know Iavaroni is supposed to be good but the results thus far don't inspire confidence. D'Oofus already messed up by not playing Lampe as much as he should have last year and when Maciej did play he wasn't matched up against centers. From the coach's lukewarm attitude, as expressed in that article, it doesn't sound like he's going to take the bold step of playing Lampe so he has a chance to learn.

 

[George O'Brien]

George, "As he becomes better conditioned he should be a good shot blocker and low post defender. It is all about desire."

Conditioning and gaining strength will help but he's got a serious handicap playing for the Suns - he's got no one to practice against and, after watching Jake and Amare defend, I'd have to say he isn't going to get much help from the coaching staff. I know Iavaroni is supposed to be good but the results thus far don't inspire confidence. D'Oofus already messed up by not playing Lampe as much as he should have last year and when Maciej did play he wasn't matched up against centers. From the coach's lukewarm attitude, as expressed in that article, it doesn't sound like he's going to take the bold step of playing Lampe so he has a chance to learn.

D'Antoni wanted to win, not develop young players. In that he is no different than any other coach which is what drives GM's crazy. But the bottom line is that coaches get rated on wins and only wins.

I have been pushing to get a physical center through free agency to replace White (assuming he ends up with the Bobcats): Blount, Foyle, and Etan Thomas are three MLE or less guys who might make sense. All three are shot blockers and physical players.

From a defensive standpoint, if Lampe learns to defend Amare he can defend nearly anybody (there is no way to prepare for Shaq).

 

[Errntknght]

George, "D'Antoni wanted to win, not develop young players. In that he is no different than any other coach which is what drives GM's crazy. But the bottom line is that coaches get rated on wins and only wins. "

In the long run they get rated on their teams playoff performance... well maybe not if they're Suns' coaches because our management has always bragged about the teams regular season record. In any case, D' said a number of times that the most important thing last year was developing our young guys - he just didn't get his priorities right about which of them were most important to the future of the team. I covered the ground why Lampe was the most important piece to develope and evaluate a half dozen times, starting before he set foot on the floor. Now the team is paying the price for not doing it with all this uncertainty about Lampe's future.

"I have been pushing to get a physical center through free agency to replace White (assuming he ends up with the Bobcats): Blount, Foyle, and Etan Thomas are three MLE or less guys who might make sense. All three are shot blockers and physical players."

I know, I know and I'm still with you on this though I have a strong preference for ET over the other two. If the right high post center came along I'd be okay with getting him... Vlade would be my first choice - he might educate our coach about the value of a high post offense and he'd be a terrific mentor for Lampe.

"From a defensive standpoint, if Lampe learns to defend Amare he can defend nearly anybody (there is no way to prepare for Shaq)."

Amare is so atypical of inside players in the NBA that practicing against him is virtually useless. Lampe needs to learn to deal with guys that back him down, body slam him, bump him off balance with a hip, elbow or butt and are simply stronger than him. One reason I'd like to get Etan Thomas is that he'd be great for Lampe to practice against... wouldn't hurt Amare to go against Etan either but Amare at least has lots of PT in games. (I'd rather have Vlade, but that seems very unlikely - though Sac might take a different view after faltering in the playoffs...)

 

[George O'Brien]

George, "D'Antoni wanted to win, not develop young players. In that he is no different than any other coach which is what drives GM's crazy. But the bottom line is that coaches get rated on wins and only wins. "

In the long run they get rated on their teams playoff performance... well maybe not if they're Suns' coaches because our management has always bragged about the teams regular season record. In any case, D' said a number of times that the most important thing last year was developing our young guys - he just didn't get his priorities right about which of them were most important to the future of the team. I covered the ground why Lampe was the most important piece to develope and evaluate a half dozen times, starting before he set foot on the floor. Now the team is paying the price for not doing it with all this uncertainty about Lampe's future.

"I have been pushing to get a physical center through free agency to replace White (assuming he ends up with the Bobcats): Blount, Foyle, and Etan Thomas are three MLE or less guys who might make sense. All three are shot blockers and physical players."

I know, I know and I'm still with you on this though I have a strong preference for ET over the other two. If the right high post center came along I'd be okay with getting him... Vlade would be my first choice - he might educate our coach about the value of a high post offense and he'd be a terrific mentor for Lampe.

"From a defensive standpoint, if Lampe learns to defend Amare he can defend nearly anybody (there is no way to prepare for Shaq)."

Amare is so atypical of inside players in the NBA that practicing against him is virtually useless. Lampe needs to learn to deal with guys that back him down, body slam him, bump him off balance with a hip, elbow or butt and are simply stronger than him. One reason I'd like to get Etan Thomas is that he'd be great for Lampe to practice against... wouldn't hurt Amare to go against Etan either but Amare at least has lots of PT in games. (I'd rather have Vlade, but that seems very unlikely - though Sac might take a different view after faltering in the playoffs...)

I've cooled on the Divac possibility as it has become clear the Kings will do what they have to do to keep him.

I'd say the ET was the guy if he weren't a restricted free agent. I think the Wizzards will match anything up to the MLE.

One of the ironies is that the Suns will probably pay to get rid of the guy who will train Lampe better than anybody - Jahidi White. If his hands weren't so terrible, giving him the ball in the low block would be a pretty good strategy because he just uses his butt to push his way under the basket. If you can keep White out of the lane, you can keep anybody but Shaq out the lane.

 

[Errntknght]

I had been thinking that getting Divac was improbable but I'm not so sure now. Sac has got to be thinking of shaking that team up after losing to Minnesota - and who knows what direction they might go. Personally, I think Peja is what is wrong with their team - too much reliance on long range shooting is death in the playoffs. The defense tightens and the pressure mounts and suddenly the shots don't fall. It looked pretty obvious but they love Peja over there and they might take the wrong direction in fixing things.


Jahidi is plenty strong enough to challenge Lampe but he's such a poor finisher that it doesn't matter that he backs him up to the hoop. Etan would score on him, and thats really the bottom line even in practice.

 

[George O'Brien]

I had been thinking that getting Divac was improbable but I'm not so sure now. Sac has got to be thinking of shaking that team up after losing to Minnesota - and who knows what direction they might go. Personally, I think Peja is what is wrong with their team - too much reliance on long range shooting is death in the playoffs. The defense tightens and the pressure mounts and suddenly the shots don't fall. It looked pretty obvious but they love Peja over there and they might take the wrong direction in fixing things.


Jahidi is plenty strong enough to challenge Lampe but he's such a poor finisher that it doesn't matter that he backs him up to the hoop. Etan would score on him, and thats really the bottom line even in practice.

The problem with RFA's is that they tie up cap space while waiting for the former team to respond. Otherwise I'd have ET up near the top of my list.