Should Amare make a comeback this season?

[Fresh8]

I was just reading up about this. It's been 5 months since the surgery and the Suns are ready to get him back into the team. However, do you guys think it's worth the risk?

Reports have it that he might even make his season debut within the next few weeks... do you guys think Amare should play this season?

There are a few risks invovled like... maybe reinjuring himself? (I'm not sure if he could... but isn't there a chance that he could?) Could he ruin the team's chemistry which is doing so well without him? Why not let him sit out the rest of the season and see what Nash and Marion and the Suns can do in the playoffs... after all, if he sat out the rest of the season, everyone would be more confident that he will and he should be 100% for the new season.

I don't think Suns fans want to see him put too much stress on his knee so that he turns into maybe a Kenyon Martin, Chris Webber or any other player who has had the same surgery in the past... the chances might not be as high... but there is still a chance.

So, my question. Is it worthwhile for Amare to make a comeback this season? With only less than 2 months of the regular season left, is it a gamble to get him back into the team and try to get him fit enough for the playoffs?

[J@3]

I don't see any merit in leaving him until the play-offs. I mean why spend the most important part of the season getting Amare back into the flow of things. It'd make more sense to give him 8-10 regular season games to get some feeling back.

As far as avoiding injury goes, he's going to have to play sometime. If the injury is that bad that it'll happen again, he's going to get injured regardless of how long he waits. I can't see the Suns not wanting another 20/10 guy in their squad leading upto the play-offs.

I can't imagine Amare wanting to sit back and watch the rest of the season when he could be playing either...

[Fresh8]

^^ I'm not really an expert but what is a fluid uildup in your knee?

[Andrew]

Eventually he's going to have to take the risk. If he's cleared to return sometime this season, he should be out there. The Suns would most likely prefer him to come back before the playoffs as there may well be a small period of adjustment as he once again becomes part of their gameplan here and now and they try to accommodate him. A return before the playoffs will give them that small buffer period of getting him back in the thick of things before the playoffs and losses that mean the team is a step closer to their season being over.

[KIG1]

Eventually he's going to have to take the risk. If he's cleared to return sometime this season, he should be out there. The Suns would most likely prefer him to come back before the playoffs as there may well be a small period of adjustment as he once again becomes part of their gameplan here and now and they try to accommodate him. A return before the playoffs will give them that small buffer period of getting him back in the thick of things before the playoffs and losses that mean the team is a step closer to their season being over.

I have to agree 100% with Andrew. Couldn't have put it any better

[lassen24]

yeah he should come back before the playoffs, give him a few games off the bench before giving him big minutes. They probly can't catch San Antonio or Dallas for the first spot in the West, they are most likely gonna get 2nd so they might as well spend the last 10-15 games of the season gettin used to playin with him.

[Axel]

Of course he should play... its obvious they wont beat San Antonio if he doesn't. I don't think the Suns want to fall short [i]again[i].

[dada]

The Suns have been playing great but you always hear people say "Imagine if they had Amare." For that reason I would love to see him get back in there to really see what they can do. At least run him out a couple regular season games and see whats up, if they dont like how they play then shelve him (lol I wouldnt recommend that). Amare is at least a huge improvement over having the likes of Tim Thomas in the starting lineup.

[The X]

I think he should sit out....it's not worth the risk to have him back....even if he does come back, I really can't see them winning the title....better to sit out & come out 99% next year....

[Isaiah]

i think he should sit out...his return might spoil the suns chemistry (even though he fits in well in their running offense)

[Fenix]

Hell no. He should recover 100% and return next year.

[Bang]

Depends on whether he'd be 100% or not. If he's not 100%, I wouldn't risk it. Suns probably won't win with or without Amare this year anyhow...

[Andrew]

But assuming he's right to go, why not have a shot? After all, if you're going to sit back and not compete simply because you're not considered a likely championship candidate, you're never going to win a title. I think the risk of jeopardising their chemistry is minimal since he's hardly a new face on the team. A comeback before the playoffs would be less of a risk since they might have 10-15 games to work him back in. This isn't a player coming over in a trade, it's someone already familiar with the system.

[Fresh8]

Andrew... only 3 guys on the current team have actually played with him before... doesn't that put more of a risk factor in the chemistry problem?

[Laxation]

They should at least give him a go before playoffs, i highly doubt they will sit him out for the entire season if he is able to play.

[Matt]

let's see......the two most important players on this team (Nash & Marion) know the ins & outs of his game. So it shouldn't be a question of chemistry. The rest should blend in well enough.
His health should be the biggest concern.

[Fresh8]

if he is definitely 100% and ready to go... Then I think the Suns could let him play. If he isn't at that physically... then I wouldn't take the gamble on him. The idea of letting him play was to get him fit for the play-offs if he were to participate.

However, i still hold skepticism over the chemistry part. I still maintain that a lot of the role players ahven't played with Amare before and I would imagine it'd be a bit weird to start playing with him for the first time this season.

I guess, it's either gonna work or it's gonna take a while to start working. If you get what I mean.

[Andrew]

Andrew... only 3 guys on the current team have actually played with him before... doesn't that put more of a risk factor in the chemistry problem?

He's familiar with the two other main players on the roster, he's got the same coach as last year, he's no stranger to the system and he's not known as a being a team cancer. That lessens the risk somewhat, as does the opportunity to use the final stretch of the season to work out any kinks in time for the playoffs.

[cyanide]

I didn't vote because I don't know his status. If he's ready, he's ready, whether it be this season, playoffs, or next year, I don't really care as long as he's not putting himself at risk for re-injury.

[Fresh8]

He's familiar with the two other main players on the roster, he's got the same coach as last year, he's no stranger to the system and he's not known as a being a team cancer. That lessens the risk somewhat, as does the opportunity to use the final stretch of the season to work out any kinks in time for the playoffs.

- There is a risk either way. The role players will need to adjust to maybe lesser roles? If he's at 100%... I would bring him back slowly. But just keep in mind, remember what happened when Webber came back for the Kings after his surgery? It just didn't work.

I know people say, wow, the Suns are winning and running away with the pac division WITHOUT Amare... but i still think that since they are on a roll without him, doesn't mean that they will be better with him on the team this season. i'm not saying that he won't put them maybe a rung or two higher than they are now but at this time of the season, I think his impact in making a return to the team will be minimal... That's just my opinion. So carry on.

[Andrew]

Sure, there's a risk and a possibility of problems. There's a risk and a possibility I'll be hit by a car if I leave my house and go for a walk, too. But there are things I can do to minimise that risk. Likewise, the risk in this situation is fairly small. It does of course depend on his health. The Webber situation is a little different, he was in worse condition and he'd already been in the league about ten years so there was quite a bit of wear and tear on his knee at that point.

And sure, the Suns are doing fine without Amare. That doesn't necessarily mean he's not needed or his impact would be minimal. The 1994 Bulls won 55 games without Michael Jordan, but bowed out in the second round of the playoffs. I wouldn't call Michael Jordan's impact on the Bulls of the 90s minimal, even if that one season went a little way towards helping the haters out with their ludicrous theories.

If he's healthy and right to go, the good he could do for the team outweights the risk and that's what matters at the end of the day.

[Fresh8]

I understand the guy is really young so I get what you're saying. I guess it's open for opinion. i still say, if he's 100%, the team should take him back in slowly but if he's not at 100%, it's not worth the risk.

Aslo, noones told me what a fluid buildup in the knee is???

[Andrew]

That's what they'd be doing if he returns for the final stretch of the regular season. It's a larger risk if they wait until the playoffs but still a calculated risk.

As far as I'm aware, a fluid build-up in a knee or any joint is exactly what it sounds like: fluid building up in the joint causing pain and difficulty in moving the joint. Someone with more medical knowledge could probably tell you exactly what that "fluid" consists of.

[J@3]

All this stuff about chemistry... it's not like Amare's been sitting in a cave all season with no contact with his teammates. They've also been playing a similar style to last season too, so it's not like they completely changed their system to the point where Amare can't fit in anymore. If they have to, they'll change things to fit him in. You don't leave your franchise guy on the sidelines just because Raja Bell might not get enough shots.

[H Rock]

Aslo, noones told me what a fluid buildup in the knee is???

According to what I've heard, it's not much of a big deal. A lot of athletes get them. It might delay his return for a little longer, but it's not going to be a huge problem.