[Dark Horse]

Started out great! Like his old self. Then... nothing. His health is going to a major key to this season, not just for the Suns. A brief look behind the scenes from the LA Times:

Stoudemire fades after good start
By Ben Bolch, Times Staff Writer
November 1, 2006

It's not going to be all one-handed dunks, fancy passes and defensive stops for Amare Stoudemire in the Phoenix Suns forward's return from dual knee surgeries that essentially wiped out last season.

It only seemed like it in Stoudemire's first four minutes against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Stoudemire made a flurry of impressive moves in the early going to help the Suns build a 19-point lead over a Lakers team missing a recovering Kobe Bryant. But Stoudemire then experienced the kind of spotty moments more indicative of someone coming off major injuries as the Lakers rallied for a 114-106 victory.

He committed two fouls in a matter of seconds in the second quarter and was beaten by Vladimir Radmanovic and Smush Parker on consecutive plays as the Lakers whittled their deficit to single digits. Stoudemire then was a non-factor in the second half, when he played less than two minutes and the Lakers surged ahead.

"Amare's not ready yet," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "If you watched the game, he's not ready defensively. I'm not going to put him out there and lose the game."

Incorporating a potential most-valuable-player candidate back into the flow of a team that last season advanced to the Western Conference finals with other players will not be a seamless process.

Stoudemire finished with six points — all in the first quarter — and one rebound in 11 minutes and could play a similar number of minutes tonight when the Suns play host to the Clippers at US Airways Center.

"I'm in no-comment mode," Stoudemire said after the game. "I hope you can respect that. I've got nothing to say, partner."

Stoudemire played in only three games last season after undergoing surgeries on both knees and is slowly regaining the form that made him an All-Star during the 2004-05 season. He did not start any games in the preseason and averaged 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 21 minutes. He will come off the bench for the foreseeable future.

"They say it's going to take a year and a half" to fully recover, D'Antoni said before the game, "and it's been a year. … Whatever we can get out of him will be great."

D'Antoni said Stoudemire was coming off a couple of good practices going into the opener, and the big man played like it early Tuesday.

Entering with 7:19 left in the first quarter, Stoudemire took a pass from Steve Nash and threw down a one-handed dunk in his first minute on the floor, then took another pass from the reigning NBA MVP and scored in the lane before adding a pair of free throws.

More impressive than Stoudemire's scoring surge was a sequence in which he made a nifty pass to guard Leandro Barbosa for a great look underneath the basket and then blocked a shot by Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf.

The rest of the Stoudemire's game was a blur of silly fouls, blown defensive assignments and vacant stares from the bench.

"By January, he'll be fine," D'Antoni said. "But there will be ups and downs."

[Dark Horse]

Suns may take a few weeks to start clicking anyway, with or without Amare. Last season they started out 4-5 SU before they caught fire.

[isetcap]

Amare has never been defensively sound. Phoenix didn't become a decent defensive team until last year and he was on the bench the entire season. I'm not covinced he needs to become some sort of defensive stopper, but I know for sure that the alternative D'Umbtoni put out there tonight was not the answer. They rolled out the red carpet for the Lakers and had it leading right to the rim.

[Dark Horse]

Kurt Thomas was very disappointing to me tonight. A step too slow and Odom took full advantage.

A healthy Amare is a great shot blocker. I just hope he'll come back to full strength. Finally read up on what microfracture surgery is, and it's not pretty. Basically means to drill holes and start a blood flow for the purpose of creating scar tissue. This scar tissue then takes over the function of removed knee cartelage. The only player that has fully come back from this procedure is Jason Kidd. Talk about a gamble!

For the 'normal' Suns I usually make the case that they are much better defensively than people give them credit for. Fast pace means more possessions for each team, so the final score suggests a poor defense. In reality the score reflects the pace.

Plus they could have used Eddie House tonight, with his quick silky release. No way that James Jones can give the Suns what House gave them.

[isetcap]

Fortunately, Amare is very young. I can't help but think of Larry Johnson and Chris Webber when I watch Amare play right now. Both of them remained quality players after their injuries but their athletic drop was off the chart. I also am not sure Amare has the same fire or youthful exuberation that gave him so much positive energy throughout games. I look at his eyes and expression and I almost feel he has matured too much having to deal with this negative episode in his career.

As for his defense, he is a very effective shot blocker when healthy, but fundamentally he's a liability. He is often out of position and is a poor help defender.

The Suns defense last night was horrendous even without Amare on the court. Phil knows how to beat this team with regularity and he's finally gotten it through to his young players. The biggest negative was how little pressure they put on the opposing offense. The Lakers spaced themselves exactly the way they wanted without any impediment or discomfort produced by the Suns. When you let the triangle space properly you will invariably lose.

[Dark Horse]

Amare looking good!

Right now, in all of sports, there's only one player that could bring tears to my eyes. And that is Amare.

With a little luck he could be of the magnitude of Pele and Ali. With a little bad luck he could fall back into the pack. Lot on the line. I feel like I'm watching the f*cking moon landing.

[isetcap]

His gifts are indeed inspirational. He's looking hungry tonight but still a ways to go physically. I too, am desperately hoping he reaches the same level as when he could drop 40 on any given night and any given team.