Amare to come off bench according to league sorces

[JEDean89]

So we all know league sources aren't the most credible, but ESPN has this posted



As long as injuries don't necessitate otherwise, New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire will come off the bench when he returns to the team, league sources with knowledge of the Knicks' thinking said.

The Knicks hope Stoudemire will return to the lineup Tuesday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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The team would like Stoudemire to come off the bench initially, though sources cautioned there is a possibility he will have to return as a starter due to injuries. Carmelo Anthony was to miss his second straight game Friday night against the Sacramento Kings with a left knee ailment, and Raymond Felton is out four to six weeks with a fractured right pinky finger.

"It's a fluid situation (because of injuries)," one source said. "But they want him to come off the bench to start."

It's common for players who return from a lengthy absence to come off the bench initially to regain their timing. But according to sources, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is seriously considering playing Stoudemire in a reserve role for the rest of the season.

Woodson is hoping to avoid disrupting the chemistry the Knicks have established during their surprising 20-8 start. The coach and his staff also want to see how Stoudemire adjusts initially, sources say.

Woodson has not commented publicly on Stoudemire's role since the power forward underwent a left knee debridement Oct. 31.

The power forward hasn't played competitively since a preseason game Oct. 19 due to the knee ailment.

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Stoudemire's role has been the subject of endless debate because it is unclear where he fits best for the Knicks.

Some say Stoudemire would be most effective off the bench because he and Anthony have had difficulty establishing chemistry on offense at different points in Anthony's tenure with the Knicks. New York is 30-33 in the regular season when both Stoudemire and Anthony start.

Woodson has said he expects the Anthony-Stoudemire dynamic to work, pointing to the Knicks' 8-2 record with them in the starting lineup since he took over as coach last March.

If Stoudemire comes off the bench, though, it would free him up to be the primary screener on the Knicks' pick and roll, a role in which he's thrived in in the past. If Stoudemire starts, he would not fill that role because starting center Tyson Chandler already fills it well.

Stoudemire has said he is open to playing any role Woodson and the team ask of him. He has started all 125 regular-season games in his Knicks tenure.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever it takes to win. I'm totally open to it," Stoudemire said earlier this month. "I've been here for three years now, you guys should know how much of a team player I am. I've played with a team in Phoenix that ... was a team-oriented game, and the same applies here in New York."



I think this is just a formality that has been put upon him by the media. Stoudemire coming off the bench will work, but the Knicks need their best 2 lineups to be Felton, JR, Melo, Stat, Chandler, and Kidd, JR, Melo, Stat, Felton

i don't think that stat will be better with melo on the court or melo will be better with stat on the court but the knicks as a unit has got have their best lineup be Chandler, Stat and Melo with a backcourt. they are the 3 most talented players on the team.

I believe it is smart for Woody to implement him off the bench for the first few weeks of january. But come on guys, woody has been starting kurt thomas and if chandler, thomas, melo will work, then chandler, stat, melo has to.

Shumps coming back also helps stat out because he will make the team better defensively taking pressure off stoudemire, who will likely still suck at defense.

[Jesse2272]

This is not directed at the OP

no mother****ing kidding

no **** sherlock keep ****ing digging watson

[D-Leethal]

Gotta love 'sources with knowledge of the Knicks thinking'

WTF does that mean?

Either way, this is pretty much exactly how I feel so I hope its true.

It's common for players who return from a lengthy absence to come off the bench initially to regain their timing. But according to sources, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is seriously considering playing Stoudemire in a reserve role for the rest of the season.

Woodson is hoping to avoid disrupting the chemistry the Knicks have established during their surprising 20-8 start. The coach and his staff also want to see how Stoudemire adjusts initially, sources say.

Bring him off the bench, like the Grizz did with ZBo and Mavs doing with Dirk, lets see how he fits, throw out some lineups throughout the game with Melo and Tyson and see how they mesh, if all is well than he ends up starting, if hes completely destroying teams second units than we keep him on the bench.

[Jesse2272]

so many taking credit for what this fan base on PSD basically brokedown and raped many with

Stilla

my graphic comment being just that

Mods you can easily bring all to light

seriously we are the bomb

im the dude throwing myself in the group-hug pretending I was a part of it

[still a fan]

I hate when they say according to Woodson???????//

No when they acutally quote Woody then its Woody said, you know " followed by ".

then the story is true, not fabricated.

Seriously Woody must laugh is *** off when they say this according to crap.

[still a fan]

so many taking credit for what this fan base on PSD basically brokedown and raped many with

Stilla

my graphic comment being just that

Mods you can easily bring all to light

seriously we are the bomb

im the dude throwing myself in the group-hug pretending I was a part of it

I wish I could have some of what your having lol

Jess you crack me up

[ShadyOne]

In other related news..

"People with inside knowledge say water may be wet, the sky may be blue, and a bear might **** in the woods"

[still a fan]

In other related news..

"People with inside knowledge say water may be wet, the sky may be blue, and a bear might **** in the woods"

I think Woody may have said the Bear ***** in the woods and uses a bowl lol

[KnickFanSince91]

Yea I'm sure the "sources close to Woodson" really told him that Kurt Thomas is a much better option as the starting PF instead of Amar'e


The main reason behind the whole "Amare on the bench" bandwagon was that he was going to supposedly worsen our defense. The numbers don't lie and believe it or not, we are now worse defensively than we were last year with Amare (right now we're all the way up to 96.7 pts/ game and 16th in def. rating compared to 94 pts/game and 11th in drtg). We've given up 100 pts per night over the last 10.

What about the "chemistry" and ball movement? We're now 27th in APG (19 per night) and have the tendency to start games off a bit flat if Melo isn't shooting lights out. We're also in a stretch of some really bad (less than 20 points) offensive 2nd/3rd quarters.

B-b-but Amare can come of the bench and cure all those woes with the second unit, right? Not so fast. J.R. is the clear cut 6th man with instant offense off the bench. So Amar'e would be the 7th man? How does he work himself into the flow? He's always been a starter and has to get involved in the offense early to be effective. There's a reason you've never seen a forward win 6th man of the year in the last 15 years unless they were of the point forward variety or can hit the 3.

The story of the Knicks right now is cool but let's be real...the fairy tale won't last if things remain the way they are right now. We need Amare in that starting 5 so he can already be in rhythm when it's time to carry the 2nd unit when Melo is resting. Melo is not a full time PF--these injuries are proof of that. Every speculative argument against Amare starting has been crumbling for the last 3 weeks. Let's be honest about what's happening with our club right now and be honest about how much Amare can help by starting the game.

[ShadyOne]

I think Woody may have said the Bear ***** in the woods and uses a bowl lol

That was from that "Insider with more information than the other Insiders" article, right?

I read somewhere else that Woody wanted to be a zookeeper when he was younger, which explains his extensive knowledge of bears. And supposedly he also watched a few basketball games, too...

[bklynny67]

so.... Anyone else completely stoked about having a bench that has JR and Amar'e coming in as the second unit...?

seriously, will anyone have as strong a bench as us in the entire NBA? Not trying to be bias here but that's an incredible bench just with those two. Really hoping we don't have any serious injuries this season.

[YashBoone]

I'll believe it when I see it, but good.

I've been saying all along that the problem isn't melo and stat... It's stat and chandler.
Their is only room for one when melo us in the court cause they clog up the paint and basically play the same role.

Stat coming off the bench makes us such a ****ing deadly team once everyone is healthy...

Lmao, melo goes to the bench and in comes stat and jr????

I Kyle go on and in with the matchup issues we cause for other teams

[still a fan]

That was from that "Insider with more information than the other Insiders" article, right?

I read somewhere else that Woody wanted to be a zookeeper when he was younger, which explains his extensive knowledge of bears. And supposedly he also watched a few basketball games, too...

I didn't know that , that helps me understand things much better,

thanks

Maybe the beard has something to do with all this

[still a fan]

I'll believe it when I see it, but good.

I've been saying all along that the problem isn't melo and stat... It's stat and chandler.
Their is only room for one when melo us in the court cause they clog up the paint and basically play the same role.

Stat coming off the bench makes us such a ****ing deadly team once everyone is healthy...

Lmao, melo goes to the bench and in comes stat and jr????

I Kyle go on and in with the matchup issues we cause for other teams

actually I think you have to go one step further and its melo, Amare and Chandler......

[YashBoone]

I'll believe it when I see it, but good.

I've been saying all along that the problem isn't melo and stat... It's stat and chandler.
Their is only room for one when melo us in the court cause they clog up the paint and basically play the same role.

Stat coming off the bench makes us such a ****ing deadly team once everyone is healthy...

Lmao, melo goes to the bench and in comes stat and jr????

I Kyle go on and in with the matchup issues we cause for other teams

actually I think you have to go one step further and its melo, Amare and Chandler......

Melo Tyson and stat only because Tyson and stat clog **** up.

I think stat could play with melo tho.