Amare: Crash and Burn?

[Zoom]

Amare's coming back slowly... How successful will he be?

Many other NBA big men have had the same surgery and it has slowed them down... maybe Chris Webber was supposed to as age caught up but Zach Randolph is an example of a player coming back from knee surgery and hasn't been the same since.

Do you think this will be the same for Amare Stoudamire?

Do you guys think that Amare will get reinjured... or will he be just a shadow of himself, maybe playing at 70% or 80%... or will he dominate and make the All-Star team?

There are a few arguements like he is so young and determined that he will get over anything... but then there are arguements that you can't control how your body is and if it's going to break down or not...

And how will Amare affect the Suns?

I think he will of course affect them positively since it's the start of a new season and his teammates think highly of him and are glad that he's back! Steve Nash is getting old and a lot of the burden needs to be taken off of him to play up to 40 minutes a night... so Amare being there is going to make the Suns harder to defend and you have an able leader on the court when Nash is resting ...

So what do you guys think? Amare: Crash and Burn?

[Klayface]

Burn. Its a shame, but its gonna happen.

[KIG1]

I think that Amare will have one transitional year, and then be right back where he was two years from now.

[KDawg295]

u think if phoenix doesn't like how he is progressing after this year, they'll be willing to trade him?

[Zoom]

u think if phoenix doesn't like how he is progressing after this year, they'll be willing to trade him?

I don't think so... I think they will hold onto him for at least another 2 years...

[Laxation]

He will be a good 6th man... but nothing like he was, at least not this year. Give him time though - hes still young enough to get back going

[Zoom]

Give him time though - hes still young enough to get back goin

What bout Zach Randolph? He was young and coming off a grand season... or at least a pretty good one...

[cyanide]

It's a sad situation. The guy had a huge, huge, huge future ahead of him, but I really think he'll end up like Antonio McDyess.

[ThaLiveKing]

Burn. Its a shame, but its gonna happen.

Look what happened to Jonathan Bender. . .Out of HS and retired last year or this year, and only played 1 good season

[dada]

I think the guy will still have a solid career and put up very nice numbers. I'm optimistic with this guy. He has a good enough attitude about everything and I feel he will continue to work hard and do what he can to earn his paycheck and be there for his teammates. I've never really been high on Zach Randolph so I feel like his decline was coming right around the corner, injuries just gave him excuses.

[arrell]

As long as he no longer posterizes Yao Ming, I'll be happy... nah, just kidding.

Is there an example of a player coming back from a serious injury and improving?

[hipn]

Grant Hill.

[dada]

Grant Hill.

I wouldnt say he improved after the injury. He is improving compared to his form during the time of his return but hasnt improved on the Grant of past.

[KIG1]

You guys forget so quickly, the Suns have Steve Nash on their team. Everybody has a good year with Nash on their team.

[Laxation]

Give him time though - hes still young enough to get back goin

What bout Zach Randolph? He was young and coming off a grand season... or at least a pretty good one...

well zach randolph is zach randolph... hes no amare stoudamire, and never will be... their only similarity is their injury

McDyess is an example of a pretty much, average case scenario of what, by all rights, should happen, but with his youth, Im gonna say that amare has the chance to get better and regain some of his explosiveness.

Just not this season...

Look what happened to Jonathan Bender. . .Out of HS and retired last year or this year, and only played 1 good season

That poor, poor man... retiring with his millions and millions of dollars at the tender age of 25 (or so)
Im sure he will manage

[Matt]

well zach randolph is zach randolph... hes no amare stoudamire, and never will be... their only similarity is their injury

and Zach Randolph has always been out of shape which impedes his recovery.

[Ty-Land]

I think Amare will get back to his old self eventually, but there is a heavy emphasis on the word 'eventually'. I think it will take another 2-3 years before he can really be confident in his knees, back to full strength and able to push himself. I think with time he can get back to his earlier form, but nowhere near as soon as everybody expects/wants him too.

[Dro]

As long as he no longer posterizes Yao Ming, I'll be happy... nah, just kidding.

Is there an example of a player coming back from a serious injury and improving?

I remember the game where he posterized Yao twice in one game. Ah, the memories.

Jason Kidd came back from a Microfracture and is as effective as ever.

I expect Amare to be rusty, and there will be good days and there will be bad days as has been the case this whole offseason. It's going to be really tough for the Suns in the first month or so of the season, trying to adjust to Amare being in and out of the lineup. They had trouble getting Amare the ball during preseason. But I honestly expect Amare to be a 20 points per game type of guy come playoff time, which should be more than the Suns need from him. Remember guys, the Suns were maybe just a calf injury to Raja Bell from making the Finals last year, with absolutely no inside presence. This year Amare and Kurt Thomas are back and if Kurt Thomas can stay healthy come playoff time, watch out.

[Klayface]

Kurt Thomas <3 lmao. He would compliment Amare so well if Amare returns to his past form. They are pretty much the 100% different on the offensive end, making it harder to come with a strategy to shut down both.

Kidd came back, but thats one of out how many? Grant Hill came back, but after how many years of come backs and rehab? Its weird how the Knicks passed up on Amare and traded for a player who had the same injury or is it just me?

[Dro]

Kurt Thomas <3 lmao. He would compliment Amare so well if Amare returns to his past form. They are pretty much the 100% different on the offensive end, making it harder to come with a strategy to shut down both.

Kidd came back, but thats one of out how many? Grant Hill came back, but after how many years of come backs and rehab? Its weird how the Knicks passed up on Amare and traded for a player who had the same injury or is it just me?

Grant Hill had an ankle injury, no? But whatever...look, we all know the odds are against him. But he is obviously feeling good more often than he has pain. He still has his explosiveness, that's apparent after watching the preseason games. He just needs to get back into the flow of the game and learn how to play with his new teammates. Remember, the team is much different now than it was in 04-05.

[[Q]]

Grant Hill.

I wouldnt say he improved after the injury. He is improving compared to his form during the time of his return but hasnt improved on the Grant of past.

Grant Hill didn't have the same surgery. He had two ankle surgeries, the first which fucked him up bad. Amare's micro-something surgery involves the knee (a la Cwebb, Penny, etc. etc.)


I don't think Amare will ever be like how he was healthy. I think the impact of the surgeries (note he wound up getting one on each knee cuz he messed up the good knee in rehabbing the bad one) will be like the effect it had on Cwebb, but to a lesser effect because he's a lot younger. Amare will lose some explosiveness especially in jumping but will still be a decent player.

[Andrew]

The odds seem to be against Amare considering the surgery he underwent and his brief appearance last season, but I think he needs to see more action before we draw too many conclusions about his future.

In the three games he saw action in last year he played a very cautious 16.7 (let's say 17) minutes per game. His 8.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg aren't bad numbers for such limited playing time. Over 36 minutes per game (his average in 2005) that works out to be around 19 ppg and 11 rpg though such numbers are purely speculation and don't really prove what he might accomplish given more playing time. The comparison does however reinforce the idea his numbers aren't so bad given the amount of minutes he played. Given more minutes he'd likely still make a significant statistical contribution as it seems he's still more than capable of doing so.

Also, he was shelved after those three games due to some minor complications with his other knee and to simply play it safe. It's not as though the surgery has been declared a failure and he'll need to undergo several more procedures a la Grant Hill.

Having said that, it's safe to assuming expecting Amare to be close to his 2005 form would be setting the bar too high. However, if he's good to go 30+ or even just 25-30 minutes this year - and I realise that's a big if - I don't think his numbers will look washed up. Within a couple of years he might even resemble the player he was during his first three seasons. It's harder to imagine him reaching the same heights as once envisioned but it just seems too early to write him off and relegate him to role player status.

[---]

I think he will be fine. He will start slow, but once he's good to go he will average around 20 and 10. I just can't imagine yet another great young player being cut down like this.

[CMJ3]

I think they could be playing a bit of mind games with the league. I think Amare will come back and be the same as he always was, His attitude like dadamafia said will help him get through it. I think if you a determined to get back to full potential then you can. Another example of someone coming back from major knee surgery is Kenyon Martin and he didnt turn out so well which i think is because of his attitude problems, his whole attitude of i get paid 13 million a year i dont have to do shit anymore.

Remember Amare is still trying to earn his max contract (hes still on rookie salary). I think that will motivate him enough to dominate.

[Colin]

Will Amare be like the flashes of extreme greatness he showed earlier in his career? Maybe, maybe not. Will he be an extremely good player and imensely valuable to the Suns? Of course. Is it too soon to really tell? The easiest answer yet: yes.