Stoudemire must adjust to diminished role
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 30, 2006 12:00 AM
The ego has landed.
The knee stopped swelling and so did the head. Nothing provokes humility like life without a windmill dunk, and Amaré Stoudemire is determined to prove he's more valuable to the Suns than ever. (His words.)
"I'm going to play my role, whatever my role may be," he said Friday before the team boarded a plane for Italy. "I've always been a team guy. This year is more a matter of just going with the flow."
Stoudemire has been a team guy but when you win Rookie of the Year honors, when you have a restaurant that screams your name, when you sport a moniker that's also an athletic shoe, the team becomes about you. You and everyone around you demands of you the most points, minutes and attention.
For Stoudemire, that was pre-microfracture surgery. The player who is joining the Suns for two weeks of training camp in Europe is an unknown commodity. When he first takes the floor, he won't be the best player out there. As the team evaluates his condition - and the pieces of a rebuilt team - he may be sitting out fourth quarters, he may be playing limited minutes. It could go on for three weeks or three months and it will take a major psychological adjustment by Stoudemire to make it work.
The center insists he's up for the challenge. Easier said than done. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni has seen his share of players who successfully made the leap from "my team" to "our team" and plenty who didn't. The coach is confident about every part of this team except chemistry, and how Stoudemire handles his role, whatever that turns out to be, will help shape that.
"We know we have talent," D'Antoni said. "We have to see if we have a great team."
Selfless play seems like an easy concept on paper but in the world of super-human athletes, the translation isn't so simple. Ego is what helps many thrive professionally, but it can also be the undoing of a team when it gets in the way of the greater goal.
For the Suns, that's an NBA title. Those words were thrown around a lot Friday by players because of what they perceive as the promise of the off-season. Tim Thomas left for the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Suns added depth by securing Marcus Banks, Sean Marks, Jumaine Jones and Eric Piatkowski.
"That's the thing with Amaré," D'Antoni said. "It's not really about limiting his time, it's limiting that he has to do everything to create a shot. Now we have other guys that can create shots.
"I just think his time on the floor, whether he goes 32 or 33 or 30 it doesn't really matter. It's just that he's not having to kill himself every possession."
That's the best scenario for a player whose knees will still cast doubt until the gruel of the regular season is under way. Stoudemire underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee, but it's his right one that has caused worry recently and demanded an MRI exam that revealed no swelling or concerns.
That was of great relief to Stoudemire, who worked out Sunday and Monday and played in the Suns' pickup game on Tuesday. He plans to be in the lineup when the Suns open the season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 31.
"So far, so good," he said. "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."
D'Antoni said Stoudemire's expectations are realistic.
"(During) USA Basketball, he went two-a-day and we went hard and he had no swelling and he had no problem," the coach said. "The biggest thing is just getting the rust off and being able to play with the guys.
"By October 31, he's going to be stronger than he ever was, more flexible than he ever was, and if his knees do not swell, there's no problem."
Even if his role is tempered? Even if less is demanded of him?
Stoudemire says yes. We'll find out soon enough.
