Mike D’Antoni, the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, remembers when he was a much smarter coach. Yes, about two days ago, before Amare Stoudemire had left knee surgery that will keep him out at least until February and possibly all season.
“Back to the bottom of the heap,” D’Antoni jokes.
Not that his Suns necessarily are going there.
“I imagine 14 other [Western Conference teams] are going, `Oh, yeah,'” D’Antoni says of the loss of the best young big man in basketball. “It gives hope to everybody now. Our job is to extinguish that as soon as possible. In reality, eight teams will make the playoffs and we’re going to be one of the eight. Then we’re going to get Amare back and push back to the top.”
Fightin’ words, of course. But what else is there to say? Stoudemire’s injury, a frightening “microfracture” that has been anathema to NBA players in recent years, is devastating to the Suns. The team that was regarded as perhaps the only true threat in the West to the emerging dominance of the San Antonio Spurs loses its top scorer and primary inside threat. He averaged 37 points per game in the conference finals against the Spurs.
As bad as the loss is for the Suns, it hurts the NBA even more because it was riding the Suns’ wave of success with promises of a more wide-open, entertaining game.
“We’ll still try to be the reckless-abandon offense, up and down, just maybe not now with the thunderous dunks and unbelievable plays,” D’Antoni says. “But we have a lot of guys who can get hot, hit open shots and make plays.”
Yes, the Suns still have All-Star Shawn Marion and defending MVP Steve Nash, and Nash has been with teams averaging 100 points or more before. They traded Quentin Richardson to the Knicks for Kurt Thomas, which is more timely now with Stoudemire out. Thomas was going to play center anyway, with Stoudemire talking last season about cutting down on the stress that goes with playing center. Apparently, it was even more stressful than anyone imagined.
More Top Picks Best Calm Down Corner Kits For Classrooms
The Suns lost free agent Joe Johnson to Atlanta, so the team was going to take on a somewhat different look with Raja Bell from Utah, James Jones from Indiana and journeyman Eddie House replacing Johnson and Richardson. Actually, the loss of Johnson probably led to the Suns, even knowing surgery was likely, to sign Stoudemire to a $73 million extension last week.
If the Suns had waited, Stoudemire would have moved closer to free agency and the Lakers, especially, were planning to make a major offer. The Suns believed they had to take the risk now to avoid a potential disaster later.
Meanwhile, the Stoudemire injury is one of those rare factors that changes the balance of power in the league. The Spurs, assuming they don’t lose Tim Duncan to injury, have an almost open path to the conference’s best record and a return to the NBA Finals. Previous contenders like Dallas, Sacramento and the Lakers have taken steps back. Up-and-comers like Houston and Denver still are sorting out their teams. It is perhaps the first time since Michael Jordan last played for the Bulls in 1998 that a case can be made that the Eastern Conference is stronger. With Stoudemire out, perhaps three of the top four teams in the league–Detroit, Miami, Indiana and maybe even Cleveland–should come out of the East.
As for Stoudemire, his loss is a severe blow to the Suns, though they remain optimistic given that he is just 22.
Microfracture surgery has been associated with career-ending injuries to players such as Terrell Brandon, Jamal Mashburn and, it appears, Allan Houston. Others who have had it haven’t been the same, such as Penny Hardaway and Chris Webber. Still others, like Jason Kidd, have taken longer to return. It apparently didn’t affect John Stockton much. Portland’s Zach Randolph is trying to return from similar surgery. The Suns say they’re confident Stoudemire will return fully healthy this season, given the size of the lesion removed and its location.
So the Suns will continue with their blueprint, and the NBA is crossing its fingers it can work.
“Speed is a little bit of a frame of mind,” D’Antoni says. “Q (Richardson) wasn’t the fastest guy. In Bell, James and Eddie House we have shooters and with [Brian] Grant and Kurt we can be a little tougher inside, which is something we wanted to do.”
It makes it more difficult on those shooters if Stoudemire isn’t inside, but D’Antoni insists the Suns’ enticing style is nothing new or different.
“Maybe the worst thing ever to happen was when [Robert] Horry hit that shot against Sacramento [in the 2002 Western Conference finals]. Sacramento could have won [the conference] if he didn’t,” D’Antoni says. “Nash gets hurt and Dallas can’t get to the Finals and they could have. Chicago. You can’t tell me you take the center out and Michael and Scottie [Pippen] and those other guys are not going to win a championship. Yes, we have to get better in rebounding and defense, but you can play this way and win.”
Perhaps not this season, but everyone has doubted them before.
———-