More troubling than the Knicks' mediocre record was Stoudemire's play next to Anthony. His numbers dipped significantly during those final 28 games.
Playing next to Anthony, a statistical decline of some sort, especially on offense, was to be expected. Next to him, Stoudemire was no longer the first option, which meant fewer touches and, therefore, fewer scoring opportunities.
Then again, the Knicks traded away a stable's worth of firepower for Anthony. There should have been more than enough individual possessions to go around. Come playoff time, none of that mattered. The Knicks had their two stars and a first-round date with the third-seeded Boston Celtics. It was time to see how far their brand-new duo could lead them.
It has to be better. I knew last night I wasn't percent. I wasn't 50 percent last night. I was pretty much in pain the whole game, from start to finish. I just don't want to further injure the injury. We understand how bright the future is here with the organization. We want to continue that success out here in the next few years.
So we don't want to damage anything by overdoing it. Having already lost Chauncey Billups and Game 1 against the Celtics along with him, the Knicks needed their two stars to bear an even heavier burden. What they got was another dropped bomb.
Stoudemire suffered back spasms during Game 2 warm-ups. Though he attempted to play through them, he wound up sitting the entire second half, watching as Anthony nearly shot the Knicks to victory. Following the loss, Stoudemire told reporters he wasn't able to move leading into the first quarter, according to NESN's Evans Clinchy :.
I could hardly move. I was trying to play through it. I went to the training staff and had it worked on before the game. Right before the national anthem, I went to get a little more work done. I tried to push through it and play on it, but once I felt that sharp pain, I just couldn't take it. Stoudemire suited up and played 33 minutes in Game 3, going 2-of-8 from the floor for seven points.
Boston clobbered New York to set up a series-clinching Game 4. Once again, Stoudemire took the floor in hopes of helping the Knicks stave off elimination. On this night, he logged 44 minutes and finished with 19 points on 5-of shooting. The Knicks lost the game and the series. We all have done thing out of anger that we regret. That makes us human. Bad timing on my part. Sorry guys. This to [sic] shall pass. Sensing their pursuit of Paul was not conducive to the core they had assembled and, quite frankly, unrealistic, the Knicks pulled the trigger on a trade for Tyson Chandler once the NBA lockout subsided.
Championship aspirations went awry early on as the team dynamic began to break down. Reports indicated that Anthony allegedly requested a trade and that D'Antoni himself asked the Knicks to deal him as well.
Magic Mike eventually relented, resigning with New York sitting at By now, it was clear this wasn't what Stoudemire envisioned.
Anthony and he were struggling to coexist on the floor, and now he found himself playing for coach Mike Woodson, a man who catered to iso-heavy wings, not post-up-oriented, pick-and-roll-heavy bigs. On top of all that—D'Antoni's departure, a dysfunctional locker room, Linsanity, etc. He returned in time to play the final four contests of the regular season, before the seventh-place Knicks squared off against the second-place Heatles.
After losing Game 1, the Knicks dropped Game 2. On his walk back to the locker room, a frustrated Stoudemire punched the glass casing surrounding a fire extinguisher, per Begley. He suffered a laceration in his right hand and needed stitches, forcing him to sit out Game 3. He notched 20 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Knicks end a postseason-game losing streak.
Miami would win Game 5, though, as the Knicks were unable to get out of the first round for a second straight time with Stoudemire and Anthony. Another loss. Another season filled with disappointment. Another string of injuries for Stoudemire. Things had to get better next season. They just had to. Carter detected the defect in an MRI exam several weeks ago and initially dealt with it through treatment and rest.
Stoudemire first talked about the soreness several weeks ago. After it worsened during last week's training camp in Tucson, he sought the opinions of three doctors before giving Carter the go-ahead for arthroscopic surgery. Carter, in consultation with Amare, chose the best course of action in terms of treating it aggressively and taking care of it now rather than letting it become a lingering problem," Colangelo said.
In a news release, the Suns said Carter repaired a joint surface defect roughly one centimeter in diameter on the inside of his left knee. Considered the cornerstone of the franchise, Stoudemire has improved each year and was a main component of a team that won a league-best 62 games last season. The 6-foot, pound forward was fifth in the NBA in scoring at 26 points per game last season, his third in the league.
Stoudemire's loss will leave the Suns with a vastly different team through most of the regular season. Coach Mike D'Antoni said the team probably would go small more often to better utilize the personnel.
Everyone will have to shoot more, he said, including Nash and Marion. But with Kurt [Thomas] and Brian [Grant], we do have some inside bangers. Stoudemire had been bothered by soreness in the knee for several months.
He had worked out last week in training camp, but sat out the team's scrimmage and final practice to have the knee examined by three doctors. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Suns' Stoudemire out four months. Phoenix Suns. Tua helps Dolphins to win after Brissett injured. Week 10 marks the start of the second half of the NFL season. Which futures bets should you be eyeing? Home NBA. SI Recommends. By AP News. College Football.
By SI Staff. By Justin Barrasso. By John Garcia Jr. College Basketball.
0コメント