S.T.A.T. is back!

[GangstaBoogy]

Stoudemire shut down again
Big man feeling knee pain, misses practice

Amaré Stoudemire’s comeback continued to hit roadblocks here today. Stoudemire did not practice because of lingering knee trouble, this time involving both knees.

He said there was again stiffness in his right knee that now has begun to affect his left knee, which was surgically repaired through a microfracture procedure almost a year ago.

Stoudemire feels he is overcompensating for the tenderness in the right knee and thus putting more strain on the left knee.

“I’m feeling a little pain and it starts from the point of the (right) kneecap,” Stoudemire said, “and it’s still stiff. And it’s carrying over to the left.”

The Suns have an exhibition game on Friday against an Italian pro team.

[d-nice]

He is playing tonight against Philly. He has played only 15 minutes so far but he is taking it easy.

[7even]

sad shit if he's really over. 22 is a fucked up age to be your prime LMAO.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^^LOL. Yea, even if he's not done, he'll NEVER be the same. Suns are just incredibly stupid for giving him that big ass lengthy contract extension AFTER he was already injured.

[GangstaBoogy]

Actually nevermind. I'm reading that he might be milking his injury. Either that or he's nervous that he'll hurt his knee again...


"Actually, they are saying that Amare is afraid to play on his knee, that there's no medical reason he can't be out there, the knee isn't even swelling. It's the right knee that's bothering him because he's overcompensating because he's scared to use the left knee. They are saying that it's all in his head, that he's just afraid to test it for fear of reinjuring it. I think all athletes feel that at some point or another after coming back from an injury/surgery like that. It traumatizes you and you are scared to death that something else will go wrong. It's a matter of getting past that fear and trusting that you will be fine. I think it's strange that the knee isn't even swelling yet he's shutting himself down."

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Actually nevermind. I'm reading that he might be milking his injury. Either that or he's nervous that he'll hurt his knee again...


"Actually, they are saying that Amare is afraid to play on his knee, that there's no medical reason he can't be out there, the knee isn't even swelling. It's the right knee that's bothering him because he's overcompensating because he's scared to use the left knee. They are saying that it's all in his head, that he's just afraid to test it for fear of reinjuring it. I think all athletes feel that at some point or another after coming back from an injury/surgery like that. It traumatizes you and you are scared to death that something else will go wrong. It's a matter of getting past that fear and trusting that you will be fine. I think it's strange that the knee isn't even swelling yet he's shutting himself down."

Yea right! That really explains the 5 turnovers and 4 fouls he had in 19 mins today in the Suns' loss to Phili...

[WC Iz Active]

He will never be the same period.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Stoudemire struggled with thought of being finished


By Ian Whittell
Special to ESPN.com

COLOGNE, Germany -- This summer, Amare Stoudemire faced his basketball mortality. Instead of living his dream of representing his country at the World Championship, he sat at home wondering whether his days as a professional athlete were over, contemplating a summer in which he pushed himself to recover from a second knee operation in a matter of months.

"I felt sometimes my career was definitely toward the end," said Stoudemire, who underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee last October and, after his short three-game comeback in March, had another operation on his other knee in April to remove a cyst and clean up floating debris.

"You don't know how hard it was this summer to stay motivated. It got to the point where I thought I wasn't going to be able to come back, I thought I wasn't ever going to get healthy. Even at the age of 23, I felt it was going downhill, but I tried to stay focused. I have got the desire to reach my full potential, and that helped me stay focused, stay with my workout schedule.

"It definitely hurt, though, the pain of thinking I might be finished was almost indescribable. It hurts in your heart; it's something you think about day in, day out. You think about the type of player you used to be, the type of player you are now.

"I'm always thinking about something else to do in life," he continued. "Life is more than just a game of basketball. Basketball allows me an introduction to the world. I definitely want to go back to school, experience different jobs, different cultures, just enjoy life.

"But this summer I thought about it more. I was taking more steps toward that this summer, taking steps toward going back to school."

Well, those plans will have to wait a bit longer.

On Tuesday, Stoudemire returned to competitive action, scoring six points on 3-of-6 shooting and tallying six rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes as the Suns blew a 22-point lead and lost 103-100 to the Philadelphia 76ers.

He also committed five turnovers, which testifies that Stoudemire's timing was, indeed, well off. His first touch of the ball was a pass picked off by Chris Webber. At least twice he simply lost control of the ball as he made a move in the paint.

On the plus side, he moved freely, ran the floor well, showed some strong moves around the glass, and reported that a hearty summer regimen of weights and swimming has brought him into the season at a svelte 237 pounds, with 7 percent body fat.

"I'm at about 80-85 percent," he said after the game. "Can I get to 100 before the season starts? There's no doubt about it. I might even have that by tomorrow!

"I don't have any pain at all in either knee; it's coming back, baby. I just need a little more time, a little more work, a little more practice to work the kinks out. It's all about timing right now, knowing my teammates and how they play."

Said point guard Steve Nash: "The last couple of days, Amare has been great. We've seen flashes of his legs coming back. It may not look like much from the sidelines, but for the players, it's exciting. We can all see the old Amare beginning to come back."

Forgive Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, though, if he does not share the same enthusiasm just yet. The training camp has seen Stoudemire sit out a number of days of practice and the opening preseason game at Lottomatica Roma because of knee pain. The fact that medics found no evidence of damage or injury to either knee merely clouded the issue.

Take, for instance, D'Antoni's reaction Monday when asked whether Stoudemire would play in the preseason game against the Sixers:

"What time is it? Five after 12? I'd say 'yes' right now, but don't hold me to it," D'Antoni said. "We'll see how he wakes up. If he wakes up and practices like he did today, he'll play. He doesn't have to be 100 percent. He has to practice hard, practice hard, play hard, play hard; he's got to be consistent. He's done that this week, so he'll play.

"In respect to Las Vegas and USA Basketball, he's a lot better. Having said that, it's a bit of a roller coaster. Right now we're on the upside, and for the last two days he's been great. If he does that for the next 20 days and there are no setbacks, then he should be 100 percent by the time the season starts."

Still, D'Antoni and these Suns are just too darn laid-back to let the uncertainty and constant media interrogation wear them down.

"I don't think we let distractions bother us," D'Antoni said. "It's the same whether it's having training camp in Europe or Amare trying to come back, our guys are pretty focused on what they do. It's not real complicated, our offense, we just play! I think we're, mentally, in pretty good shape right now."

"If I could have received a nickel for every time someone asked me about my knee, my contract would just be a nice signing bonus," Stoudemire said. "It's definitely repetitive, but it's the question everybody is concerned about and I appreciate that and tell them how I feel."

Which is?

"I feel good. This is my first major surgery, and it's definitely tough to come back from two knee surgeries. Not too many NBA players have come back to reach their full potential after two knee surgeries. But through the grace of God, I definitely will reach my full potential."

And don't think the power forward regrets trying to come back last season, either. "Coming back last year was something that needed to happen to see exactly where I stood. If I hadn't come back, I wouldn't have known where I stood. It was great for me to come back. No regrets."

In fact, the only major concern during the preseason game came before tip when Stoudemire made a point of informing the announcer that he was wearing his new No. 1 jersey, not the 32 that had been read out to the crowd.

"I didn't like that at all," Stoudemire said. "It's numero uno from now on."

[Vegasmac25]

of course stoudemire is not the same and nore he ever will be.I think its all mental and conditioning now for Stoudemire.He is still athletic but he just needs to get his condition down and also playing without thinking about the knees.

[R-Tistic]

I can imagine....I've only broken one bone, but when I was injured, I was VERY scared to play on it for a while, and it took a while to get used to it. So I can only imagine with him having surgeries. And knees are vital for any sport, but especially for a high flyer like he is. It probably all is in his head, and it may take a while for him to really get used to it.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Amare says he's 'about 100 percent'
 
Phoenix, Oct 15: Italy was good for Amare Stoudemire. The dynamic Phoenix Suns power forward said Saturday that he's "about 100 percent" healthy after his up-and-down recovery from microfracture knee surgery.

"Right now I haven't felt any pain, no discomfort," he said. "I'm glad to be back."

The Suns returned from their European training camp Thursday and held an open practice for fans Saturday before leaving for Las Vegas, where they play the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game Sunday night.

Stoudemire's status looked shaky at best last week when stiffness in his knees forced him to sit out a practice in Italy.

Since then, he's participated in every practice and the team's two preseason games in Germany.

"I had a day off practice and then that next day I just felt great," Stoudemire said. "Then I came back on back-to-back practices and felt even better. Then I came back for the game and felt even better. Each day I've been feeling better."

Coach Mike D'Antoni is encouraged.

"He's looking better on the court," D'Antoni said. "Every once in a while he'll explode with a big dunk. You see him running better and he's more fluid, so it has to be good news."

The 24-year-old underwent surgery on his left knee a year ago, shortly after signing a five-year, $73 million contract.

He tried to come back last March, playing in three games before shutting it down. Eventually, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. 

[GangstaBoogy]

 

[Antonio_]

Hold on, hold on. I've seen him playing live here in Italy in the NBA Live Europe Tour against Roma, and i've had a chance to talk with Mike D'Antoni (in Italian, thank God! lol). He said that the player has pain doing lateral movements with the knees, while he has no pain at all going vertical. It's all normal. I've broken my knee too, and i guarrantee it's all normal. The movement you can't do it's exactly that one, from left to right or from right to left. So it's all normal, nothing really scaring. He still needs more time to recover, but he'll do it. Of course he'll not be as explosive as he was before, but he's still 24, so he can still have a great career. Mike wasn't worried at all. I wish Amare all the best: he's a funny guy, he looked like a good man.

[Sanford - V. President of the Dangerous Crew Movement]

he needs to get on that Barry Juice.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Shape up. . . . or sit out 

By Craig Morgan, Tribune Columnist
October 18, 2006

Two weeks ago in Italy, Mike D'Antoni and Amaré Stoudemire had what amounted to a father-son chat.
 
There was no wine offered. Just a simple message endorsed by owner Robert Sarver: If you don't dedicate yourself to this team 100 percent, you won't be playing.

Stoudemire had just skipped another workout, complaining of pain in both surgically repaired knees. “Mike had had enough," said a source familiar with the situation. Two weeks have passed and Stoudemire has not missed a workout or complained of pain in his knees since. Coincidence? Hardly.

But if you think the star forward is now a model citizen who just needs to hone his conditioning and timing, think again.

Stoudemire's biggest hurdle in his comeback attempt may have less to do with rust and more to do with the jersey number he is wearing this season — No. 1 — and all the attitude that it embodies. As a matter of coincidence, it is the same number microfracture poster child Penny Hardaway wore in Phoenix.

For those keeping score, Stoudemire played 18 minutes in Tuesday's exhibition loss to the Clippers, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, missing on all four free throw attempts and a pair of spin moves in the lane.

For those watching closely, there were periods of lack of interest and periods of coasting. Normal fare for a preseason game, maybe, but not for a guy who needs every minute of practice time he can get after sitting out most of the 2005-06 season.

Speaking of practice, some within the organization felt Stoudemire attended Tuesday's shootaround in body only. The mind was elsewhere.

So where does this leave the Suns as they head into a pivotal season for this incarnation of the franchise?

In one heck of a pickle.

If Stoudemire gets back to 100 percent, it's easy. Most figure the Suns as championship material and the chemistry will come in time.

But if he's not 100 percent — physically or mentally — what does D'Antoni do?

Does he use him as sixth man and wait patiently for him to regain his former glory?

Does he bog down a team that established its own identity in his absence in advancing to the Western Conference finals?

Can he afford to do either given the brutal start to the Suns' schedule, which includes two games against the Clippers and one each against San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis in the first seven? “It's a little touchy," said guard Steve Nash, who made it clear last season that the Amaré-less Suns were an unselfish, fluid and fun bunch to conduct. Nobody knows if Stoudemire will rewind the clock to 2004, or if he will stay healthy the entire season.

Although the left knee will eventually need more work because microfracture is a temporary fix, not a solution, Suns doctor Tom Carter thinks the right knee will be a greater immediate issue because Stoudemire has chronic arthritis in it.

“He's going to have to cope with periodic flare-ups," Carter said.

And when he does, the Suns will have to walk a fine line between babying and bullying him.

“People can say what they want but nobody knows what kind of pain I have in my body but me," Stoudemire said. “Nobody knows what I can and can't do but me."

Time is running out for Stoudemire and the Suns to find the answer to that latter puzzle.

Soon, D'Antoni will have to dust off his best Bono and tell Stoudemire the Suns are ready to move on: “With or without you."