would you have STAT come off the bench?

[playstation]

at least until like the all-star break? obviously his minutes would still be whatever he could handle, but it would ease the transition to allow him to come in against lesser comp.

also, it would give us the best bench in ball EASILY (amare, barbosa, banks, jonesx2)

 

[Covert Rain]

at least until like the all-star break? obviously his minutes would still be whatever he could handle, but it would ease the transition to allow him to come in against lesser comp.

also, it would give us the best bench in ball EASILY (amare, barbosa, banks, jonesx2)

Until the All-Star break??? No way. If his knees are fine and he is just not in basketball shape then there is no reason not to have hiim start. In my opinion, if they want to ease him back in fine. However, that should only take about 5 games.

If Amare is still coming off the bench by the All-Star break then it only confirms that Amare is not as healthy as they say or that Amare will never be close to the same player.

The only way to tell is to see him in action. Bring it on!

 

[SO91]

What would be the purpose of rushing him back into the starting lineup? While I believe this team needs Amare to win a championship, it's not necessary to throw him into a pressure situation, starting from the first game. From what I've read his knees seem to be fine, so his biggest challenge is a mental one. Putting pressure on him to produce immediatly could only have a negative impact.

 

[cly2tw]

It's really a boring offseason, isn't it?^^

 

[green machine]

I'm not worried about him starting or not, more just how many minutes he gets. If he meshes well with the team and is good to go then I want him in at the end when we are putting a team away. Doesn't really matter who starts.

 

[Errntknght]

I don't think you can keep the pressure off Amare by having him come off the bench - everyone who follows the NBA at all knows how he performs is a big deal for the Suns and undoubtedly the most pressure on him comes from inside. You know he's just dying to get out there and explode like he used to - what I'm hoping to see is that he's used all the rehab time to become a smarter and more complete player, and that he works hard on that as he slowly recovers his physical prowress.

 

[SO91]

You're absolutely right, everybody knows what he's capable and we are all hoping to see the old Amare. While seeing him start the first game and every game after that would be amazing, it's not necessary. Pressure will be on him whether he starts or not, but i just think starting him would increase that pressure to a level that is unecessary. Let him ease into the season and overcome that mental hurdle he obviously has

 

[Mainstreet]

It's really a boring offseason, isn't it?^^

Tell me about it.

Seriously, I like the Suns' addition of Banks and Jumaine Jones. Too bad they didn't add a big man such as Ely with the TE in case Amare is not ready to go coming out of the gate. Also if the Suns can extend Diaw as they did LB, it would make me feel much better.

Isn't there any way the money the Arizona Cardinals are raking-in, can be given to the Suns? I'm not totally sure if the Suns would make better use of it, but I think there's a better chance of it.

There must be something the Suns can name University of Phoenix.

 

[pokerface]

Can we see Amare play a few games before we decide his "role" on the team? Last time I saw him play in a Suns uniform he was getting the ball stuffed back in his face by midgets....and thats when he was supposed to be a "100%". We all know the Suns said they wouldnt bring Amare back unless he's 100%.....so I guess when we see him next he'll be a 110% because he's supposed to be even better now...hopefully.

 

[boisesuns]

I'd say bring him off the bench for a while. Imagine other teams thinking they are going to get a break and he comes off the bench!

 

[Joe Mama]

I would bring him off the bench on till he really looks like a starter. I'm worried about him on defense more than anything.

Joe

 

[playstation]

you don't have him come off the bench because he's incapable of starting.

you do it because, as d'antoni said, amare will have ups and downs, and on a team like this, you don't have to depend so heavily on him while he goes through his downs (at least early in the season).

if he labors at all or doesn't have explosiveness, he'll play 10 minutes max off the bench, which imo is way different than a starter being pulled after 10 minutes.

 

[Chaplin]

There's also a downside. If he starts, he'll be warm after going through warmups and stretches during the pre-game. Coming off the bench, the opportunity to be warm starts to fade away the longer it takes to come in.

 

[moviebuff316]

You should start him. Limit his Minutes till he is able to handle full starter minutes. Increase the minutes as the season goes on. The Team is deep enough to have him be limited for a few weeks until he is ready for 30 + min a game.

 

[jbeecham]

I agree, start him and limit his minutes. Have him play in 4-6 minute spurts to keep his minutes around 20mpg at the start of the season and gradually increase it as the season goes on.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

I think Amare starts.

 

[George O'Brien]

If Amare plays, he starts.

I'm still not sure D'Antoni is sure who will start with him: Diaw or KT. My guess is that that KT starts to keep Amare out of foul trouble, but it will depend on how well they play.

 

[pokerface]

The bigger question is if Amare can play like his old dominating self for a season and make it to the playoffs in one piece. Whether he starts or not seems trivial compared to that.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

The bigger question is if Amare can play like his old dominating self for a season and make it to the playoffs in one piece. Whether he starts or not seems trivial compared to that.

It's a big question but it could also be asked like this:

Will Amare's game be as dominating now that he doesn't have his super freakish jumping ability anymore? If Amare can get to the line at will and help stop huge runs, then he can help the Suns win a championship in 2007.

 

[George O'Brien]

I tend to view Amare's situation like that of a pitcher with a super fast ball who gets injured. Some great power pitchers never regain their effectiveness, but most simply stop trying to blow the ball by every batter. They learn about control, location, movement, and varying the speed. When the fast ball is used, it is a lot more effective because the batter has a lot more to worry about.

An example might be Karl Malone. Obviously Malone's rebounding and defense was better than Amare's, but offensively there are similarities down to the pick and roll. At his peak, Malone was never the jump athlete Amare has been and near the end of his career Malone clearly lost a step. But until his year with the Lakers, Malone did not have year where he averaged under 20 ppg after his rookie season with a career average of 25 ppg.

I would be diappointed if Amare only returned to the physical capability of Karl Malone, but he could still be a Hall of Fame level player.