Stoudemire: 'I want to be that guy'
Stephen A. Smith
ESPN
Dec 3, 2008
PHOENIX -- The scene was the home locker room, minutes after
the Suns had emphatically illustrated they are not who we're used to seeing
and certainly are not where they want to be. Amare Stoudemire stood at his
locker with his head bowed, looking distant amid a crowd of familiar faces,
resembling a sad puppy who had lost his way.
The Phoenix Suns had not only been beaten by the Los Angeles
Lakers over the course of 48 excruciating minutes in last week's 105-92
loss, they had been beaten down. L.A.'s precision had been in full effect,
its togetherness undeniable, as had been the Lakers' depth and confidence.
And so, indeed, had been the good time they were having at the Suns' expense.
"They did look really good out there," Stoudemire
said, deadpan. "They were fluid, flowing. Just doing what they do.
I remember when we looked like that." Stoudemire stopped right there.
He knew he didn't need to say another word.
The Suns, at 11-5, still sit near the top of the Western
Conference standings. They still have Stoudemire and Steve Nash. Add the
usual bandits like Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Grant Hill, and one would think
Phoenix is still the same potent team it's been in recent memory.
Except that is simply not true.
For one thing, the Suns don't have departed coach Mike
D'Antoni, who averaged 58 wins the past four seasons. In his place is new
coach Terry Porter, whose mandate is to tweak the offense and cater more
to Shaquille O'Neal (acquired from Miami halfway into last season) -- but
more so to fix a defense that surrendered 105 points per game (24th in the
league) and 45.6 percent shooting from the field (18th) last season.
Supposedly, this transition will transform the Suns from
all-entertainment status to legitimate title contenders. So say Hill and
almost everyone else in Phoenix's locker room.
Almost. "I hope so," said Stoudemire, who is
averaging 22.6 points and 8.3 rebounds and is shooting 57.4 percent from
the field thus far, showing little regression despite the changes. "The
goal is bigger than just myself. It's to win a championship. Do everything
it takes. But in the process, I'm also trying to be the best I can be, too."
Sorry! But few, if any, can tell what direction Phoenix
is headed right now.
In recent seasons, the Suns were considered a top-three
team in the West. Now, with the emergence of the Lakers, Utah, New Orleans
and Houston, along with omnipresent San Antonio (when healthy), the Suns
are lucky if they get mentioned in the top six.
The Suns are running less, and less effectively, than
they have in years past. The frenetic pace made so famous by D'Antoni has
virtually disappeared during the first month of this season.
Time and again, spacing is an issue because Shaq is clogged
in the middle, where Stoudemire used to be all by himself. It forces Stoudemire
to stay away from the basket more, engaging in predictable pick-and-rolls
or just being a perimeter shooter -- when everyone knows his athleticism
and aerial assault were what made him arguably the best offensive power
forward in the game over the past two seasons.
When asked about his situation, Stoudemire said, "You've
got LeBron James who's a featured guy. You've got Dwyane Wade. He's a featured
guy. Dwight Howard? They go to him. Chris Bosh? They go to him.
"Bottom line: I want to be that guy. I want to show
the league and the world that I feel like my game has improved to that level."
When asked whether he felt Porter's new system was helping
that cause, Stoudemire said, "I'm not sure."
When told it wasn't good for him to feel that way, his
response: "It ain't great!"
Stoudemire left it at that. So Porter, knowing Stoudemire
-- and others -- might have some reservations about the new world order
in Phoenix, elected to elaborate for him.
As a player, you should look at the teams you might want
to play for. The city you may want to live in. The system you may want to
play in. The economy. The cost of living. Everything. It's about what's
best for you.
-- Amare Stoudemire
"The important thing with Amare is that we have to
continue to win games," Porter said. "He's getting touches in
the areas he needs to get touches. He just has to be aggressive. I think
the last few games he's gotten the ball in the areas he's needed to get
the ball. He's gotten the attempts he's needed. We just have to keep working
at it.
"I've talked to him a lot about having to grow in
other areas of his game in order to be mentioned with guys like Tim Duncan
and Kevin Garnett. Those guys came in and had a presence offensively, but
as the years progressed, their defense got considerably better. And Amare
has gotten better from day one. So in my mind, I believe he'll be fine."
The thing is, it doesn't matter how anyone but Stoudemire
feels, as it pertains to Stoudemire, if the future is what the Suns are
concerned about. Shaq goes out of his way to say, "Amare is a helluva
player. He's the most athletic power forward I've seen in a while, and he's
our main guy." But that hasn't stopped anyone from noticing Phoenix
is, as Bell says, "Shaq's team right now. No complaints. We're just
all adjusting."
Then there's Nash, the former two-time league MVP, looking
bewildered for the first time in years. As point guard, he feels similar
concern, despite having the ball in his hands most of the time.
"You're not wrong in that we're not where we want
to be yet," Nash said. "We're not running as much as we would
like to. We've got some work to do.
"We emphasized going inside and our half-court game
for six weeks during training camp and the preseason. That's what you're
seeing. If we play too methodically for all 82 games, it's going to wear
guys down. No doubt.
"But [Porter] wants us to run. We want to run. Eventually,
we'll be fine."
They'd better be. Because while all this talk has circulated
about the potential 2010 availability of LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh, they are
not alone on that list.
Asked whether he thinks about his own availability in
2010, Stoudemire didn't hesitate: "Absolutely! You have to look at
those opportunities because this is a business and you want to explore every
option. I guarantee you every owner will explore their options, especially
when a player's contract is up. So it's the same for players. It's definitely
the same for me.
"As a player, you should look at the teams you might
want to play for. The city you may want to live in. The system you may want
to play in. The economy. The cost of living. Everything. It's about what's
best for you."
Are you listening, Phoenix? Rest assured, 29 other teams
certainly are.
Stephen A. Smith covers the NBA for ESPN.
