D'antoni responds to Amare's comments

[Real Men Wear Green]

LOL at defense being 80% effort. Why don't you go and try really hard and guard Chris Paul, I'm sure that will work.

Amare has been played out of position for his entire career(remember no college) in a system that would often give up easy baskets in order to start a fastbreaks. It really not a wonder why he isnt a good defender, defense was freakin discouraged for his first 6 years in the NBA.

There's definitely strategy to it and fundamentals a big man has to learn but at the core of every good defender you have a guy that hustles. There are guys that make mental errors here and there but still defend well because they're just trying so hard. You will not find any good defenders that aren't trying, not at the NBA level. I don't want to call STAT lazy but I will say that he's always had a much higher focus on offense than on defense. Some of that is the fault of the guy that coached him when he was a young player but if STAT had it in him to go Rodman out there with his massive athletic gifts (when he had them) he would have been a good defender as a young player through sheer effort.

[ShaqAttack3234]

This isn't a complete excuse for Amare, but D'Antoni's track record speaks for itself. There's no reason for the Lakers to be as bad as they are defensively. He's just not a good NBA coach. He had the 3 years where he had the ideal roster for his system, and a shit load of talent. Without that ideal roster, even a shit load of talent isn't enough. He's been exposed, he's just terrible for most teams.

[GOBB]

This was the best defense Mike has ever implemented.

Amare didnt go to 6,7,8 high schools for nothing. Guy is just dumb.

[BlueandGold]

Garbage offensive system, no resemblance of any type of defensive system much less philosophy and will get picked up/totally out-coached in the half-court.

[ShaqAttack3234]

This was the best defense Mike has ever implemented.

Amare didnt go to 6,7,8 high schools for nothing. Guy is just dumb.

I'm not going to argue about Amare's intelligence, but don't you think his situation as a child may have had something to do with it? His mother was constantly in legal trouble and his father died young. It's certainly easy to see why someone may not have the easiest time focusing on school or caring about it. I'm not saying that was the reason, I have no way of knowing. But it's as plausible as your explanation.

[IGOTGAME]

well first of all, there is a difference between not emphasized and discouraged.
second, I cannot believe anyone would defend a long standing league vet acting like hes never had the opportunity to learn basic defensive positioning and such. Sure, defense is more than effort, but it starts with effort. The problem with dudes like a'ma'r'e' is that they were raised to think of basketball as the showboating offensive stuff. no one gets a highlight reel for a great boxout or denying a pass.

It starts and ends with attitude, and amare doesnt have it

Amare wasn't coached as a young player. He didn't pick up a ball until 14/15. He only played 2 years of high school basketball. The guy was raw coming into the league and he was raw when DAntoni got him. DAntoni's system encourages his team to give up easy baskets at time to get fast breaks going....that is discouraging defense!!! His whole career has basically been in a system that thinks playing hard defense is not conducive to winning basketball games.

But lets look at Amare's "effort" ?
-Shows up ever year in tip top shape. Even after multiple career threatening injuries.
-Plays with intensity ever game
-Added a deadly jumpshot to his arsenal.
-Became a marginally better post player.

Certain things aren't going to change with effort. He was never going to be able to guard the center position in Phx, due to a lack of size, not effort. When you have a young guy like Amare, they put precedence on what there coach wants. Coach D wanted Amare to stretch the defense and attack. That is what he improved upon. Coach D never had a problem with his defense.....if he had a problem with it I'm sure Amare would have tried to fix it, that is how he has addressed every other issue during his time in the NBA.

But this defense is 80% effort thing is a joke(its 80% natural attributes including stamina and maybe 20% effort because if you don't have the attributes than the effort doesn't matter) put out there by guys who don't play basketball. Sorry, but if you are better than someone than they can go as hard as they want and it doesn't matter. You just use there aggressiveness against them. And Amare's problem isn't effort, it is understanding, anticipation and saavy. It is almost like no one sat down and taught him how to rotate in an NBA level defense. This is something that Amare, someone who may not be the most intelligent guy, may be able to do by himself and not during practice.

[Rekindled]

Garbage offensive system, no resemblance of any type of defensive system much less philosophy and will get picked up/totally out-coached in the half-court.

except dantoni had one of the most efficient half court offense in nba history.

good to see people pulling random facts out of there a$$ though

[LoneyROY7]

Amare wasn't coached as a young player. He didn't pick up a ball until 14/15. He only played 2 years of high school basketball. The guy was raw coming into the league and he was raw when DAntoni got him. DAntoni's system encourages his team to give up easy baskets at time to get fast breaks going....that is discouraging defense!!! His whole career has basically been in a system that thinks playing hard defense is not conducive to winning basketball games.

But lets look at Amare's "effort" ?
-Shows up ever year in tip top shape. Even after multiple career threatening injuries.
-Plays with intensity ever game
-Added a deadly jumpshot to his arsenal.
-Became a marginally better post player.

Certain things aren't going to change with effort. He was never going to be able to guard the center position in Phx, due to a lack of size, not effort. When you have a young guy like Amare, they put precedence on what there coach wants. Coach D wanted Amare to stretch the defense and attack. That is what he improved upon. Coach D never had a problem with his defense.....if he had a problem with it I'm sure Amare would have tried to fix it, that is how he has addressed every other issue during his time in the NBA.

But this defense is 80% effort thing is a joke(its 80% natural attributes including stamina and maybe 20% effort because if you don't have the attributes than the effort doesn't matter) put out there by guys who don't play basketball. Sorry, but if you are better than someone than they can go as hard as they want and it doesn't matter. You just use there aggressiveness against them. And Amare's problem isn't effort, it is understanding, anticipation and saavy. It is almost like no one sat down and taught him how to rotate in an NBA level defense. This is something that Amare, someone who may not be the most intelligent guy, may be able to do by himself and not during practice.

It's called hiring a coach in the off-season to help teach you...kind of like what Amare did with Hakeem for his post-game, no?

[GOBB]

I'm not going to argue about Amare's intelligence, but don't you think his situation as a child may have had something to do with it? His mother was constantly in legal trouble and his father died young. It's certainly easy to see why someone may not have the easiest time focusing on school or caring about it. I'm not saying that was the reason, I have no way of knowing. But it's as plausible as your explanation.

Thats fair.

[CavaliersFTW]

D'Antonis instinctive defensive response is say something "offensive"

[Blue&Orange]

Really? Be serious man, he's never cared to play defense.

Don't make up excuses. You don't think he could learn if he tried? There are hundreds of coaches or legends who would teach him.

He goes to Hakeem for offense but can't find anybody for defense?

lol he was urged by Woodson! It was Woodson that said Amare had to improve his post game! D'Antoni was making Amare a jump shooter and a stretch four, because Knicks had Chandler, Woodson said **** that shit, i want you in the paint.

“Coach Woodson wanted to develop my post game and he knew I had it in me,” Stoudemire told Fox 26 in Houston (via *********). “He called up a good friend, Hakeem, and Hakeem said, ‘sure, no problem.’”

The coach pushed Amare to become better offensively and defensively.

D'Antoni put Amare playing as a center because of the offensive mismatches, with all the space in the world, the other 4 guys behind the 3 point line, spoon fed by nash, and said to him, you're fine, you're a great player, nothing wrong with you, don't worry about defense.

I can't imagine another scenario more detrimental to Amare for growing as a player than having D'Antoni as the coach and being spoon fed by Nash.

D'Antoni is hack in every sense of the word, Jalen Rose asking him about defense, and D'Antoni saying it didn't matter is priceless.

I don't understand how is Pringles clowning Amare, it was pretty obvious to anyone Amare did improved defensively last year. Pringles is losing it.


I've said it like one year ago, Amare is going to improve a lot for his age, because now he is finally being coached.

[IGOTGAME]

It's called hiring a coach in the off-season to help teach you...kind of like what Amare did with Hakeem for his post-game, no?

1. When you work for an employer/coach --> you focus on what the coach wants you to do. That is why these guys have exit meetings every year. If the coach wants him focusing on shooting 3s then that is what he would do.

2. Its really hard to improve on defense by just hiring a coach. You need shell drills and NBA 5 on 5 competition. You aren't going to get better just going 1 on 1 in informal comp or playing non NBA level guys.

Defense is a very hard thing to improve upon as an NBA big man.

[Teanett]

It's called hiring a coach in the off-season to help teach you...kind of like what Amare did with Hakeem for his post-game, no?

and he did so, because the knicks need an post presence.
because he wanted to tweak his game to fit with melo and tyson.
because woody told him so.
i bet you d'antoni NEVER told him to put in extra work on his d.

[LamarOdom]

LOL at defense being 80% effort. Why don't you go and try really hard and guard Chris Paul, I'm sure that will work.

Amare has been played out of position for his entire career(remember no college) in a system that would often give up easy baskets in order to start a fastbreaks. It really not a wonder why he isnt a good defender, defense was freakin discouraged for his first 6 years in the NBA.

Two of the greatest defenders in our generation never went to college, KG and Dwight. Jermaine O'neal is also a good example.

Kobe one of the best perimeter defenders in his prime never went to college, that's no excuse.

[ZenMaster]

Is Amare Stoudemire smart?

A common trait among good defenders is that they're smart and can handle multiple tasks at the same time.