We need easier buckets... Stat will help!

[TruthFreesYou]

STAT can score 17 ppg in his sleep in a terrible year. The fact is, we need easy baskets, and more offense. We need his offense. As much as I really was hoping we would be better without him, I sadly realize that we are too easy to defend without him....

[flimflamman]

Dont be a blind fool, Amare cant help if he is not a elite defender and rebounder. We dont need more offense, so says many folks. Not me but many othrs who feel Amares return will retard the team on the defense.

[ewmania]

Dont be a blind fool, Amare cant help if he is not a elite defender and rebounder. We dont need more offense, so says many folks. Not me but many othrs who feel Amares return will retard the team on the defense.

he has a career avg of more rebounds than melo, and he's a underrated offensive rebounder nobody gives him putback credit but he's great at that

point blank most of our struggles come from size. sure he's not an elite defender but he has strength and size and his being on the court will hopefully stop woodson from going long stretches of playing small ball

I personally think woodson over uses the small ball play

[flimflamman]

he has a career avg of more rebounds than melo, and he's a underrated offensive rebounder nobody gives him putback credit but he's great at that

point blank most of our struggles come from size. sure he's not an elite defender but he has strength and size and his being on the court will hopefully stop woodson from going long stretches of playing small ball

I personally think woodson over uses the small ball play

Playing devils advocate........ Amare plays such bad defense that his offense is not a plus compared to his defense.

[VillaMaravilla]

The hate for Amare is unreal, get over it the guy is going to start and help this team and please stop it with the defense bs, he'll come back surprise many with his play

[QueensG_718]

I have faith in amare. We need him to be successful especially in the playoffs. Amare is a class act man and the bashing he gets here is unfair. Of all people on the team he has always been a team first guy. Get well soon stat.

[Nycbball08]

After a game like last night the last thing we need is more offense..we need the complete opposite. But not just that, in the last few games it seems like the ball movement we saw earlier is gone, guys are showing traits of old habits with their 1 on 1 play...woodie not utilizing the bigs "Camby"..I'm gonna try not to be so critical of this group cause it's still early and they can only get better not worse.

[QueensG_718]

Jr was definately looking like the old jr last night. Every shot he took he forced it

[yankeesown69]

I'm sure we could use him because there are times where we have trouble getting easy shots, but hes really gonna have to be a better defender and rebounder or the tradeoff isn't gonna be worth it

[D-Leethal]

The hate for Amare is unreal, get over it the guy is going to start and help this team and please stop it with the defense bs, he'll come back surprise many with his play

His putrid defense is BS?

I have said when we were 8-1, if we kept up that level of play I wanted him to get limited minutes, but our play on D has fallen off a cliff so its not like hes going to kill us there anymore.

[Big2win]

For those of you who claim that Amar'e plays such horrid defense, most of you said the same about Melo. None of us are psychics that can predict the future. If Woodson has emphasized defense and holding players accountable for playing quality defense, how can Amare be excused from his responsibility on defense? These claims are baseless and have no merit. Stat spent 90% of his career playing for a coach who does not stress defense and was drafted out.of high school where defense is not the number one priority to teach. Real Knick fans are optimistic that stat will provide that extra punch we need, offensively and defensively. No way in hell he gets a pass on defense on this team.

[D-Leethal]

For those of you who claim that Amar'e plays such horrid defense, most of you said the same about Melo. None of us are psychics that can predict the future. If Woodson has emphasized defense and holding players accountable for playing quality defense, how can Amare be excused from his responsibility on defense? These claims are baseless and have no merit. Stat spent 90% of his career playing for a coach who does not stress defense and was drafted out.of high school where defense is not the number one priority to teach. Real Knick fans are optimistic that stat will provide that extra punch we need, offensively and defensively. No way in hell he gets a pass on defense on this team.

The claims that Amare is putrid on defense has no merit?

I believe pretty much all of us have backed this with multiple claims, videos, stats of scrubs going off for career highs on him on the reg.

We have also said Melo has always had the ability to play D. It was his effort.

Its more than that for STAT. He has no defensive awareness, he has tunnel vision defensively, he ball watches and lets his man get free, he people watches and lets the ball go right past him, can't guard the pick and roll to save his life, has suspect 1 on 1 defense, his 'defensive stance' is a hunchback, switches when hes not supposed to and doesn't when he is supposed to, loses his man CONSTANTLY in transition, hes not quick laterally, hes only quick north-south.

There is no shortage of tangible evidence out there to tell you STAT sucks on D. Its going to take more than Woodson lighting a fire under his *** to improve. For Melo, all it took was Woodson lighting a fire under his ***.

[QueensG_718]

Amares not that horrible on defense. If he can bring the effort on defense he had in 2010 where he would get these key monster blocks then we would be good. He does have some awareness. Granted blocks doesnt equal good defense but the defensive ability is there if he applies himself. All he really has to do is keep his arms straight up when people go for shots like sheed does. Sheed is not athletic but makes it work. Maybe he can teach amare a thing or two.

[flimflamman]

Amare is as good a scorer as Brook Lopez and a better rebounder and defender and Brook gives the Nets balance we dont have. Amare down low and from midrange with Melo from anywher with Felton and Kidd settinf them up. Our team D wont suffer as mmuch as some fea
ar.