Amar'e wants Knicks to go uptempo again
Amar'e Stoudemire #1 of the New York Knicks and his teammates look on late in the game against the Indiana Pacers. (March 13, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
MILWAUKEE -- The Knicks have pointed to a lack of practice time as a major reason the new-look roster hasn't had time to develop chemistry on the court. But in the midst of a demanding schedule, with four games in five nights, Mike D'Antoni gave the team a day off Saturday before Sunday's game against the Bucks.
Amar'e Stoudemire believes he already has one answer to solve the Knicks' inconsistencies: go back to playing the way they did before the trade that brought in Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.
"Absolutely, absolutely, that's the way we're going to win,'' Stoudemire said of the need to get back to the uptempo, pick-and-roll style. "That's the way we've proven that works with the team we had before the trade and it can work with the guys we have now. It's just a matter of us buying into it and really trying to understand that our ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and see what we can do.''
Stoudemire, who called Friday's 99-95 loss to the lowly Pistons "definitely not a proud moment for us,'' seemed to be making a plea to Anthony, who had his worst performance of the season with six points (2-for-12 shooting) and was visibly annoyed about not getting the ball when he demanded it in isolations. The Knicks thrived most during a 17-0 run in the third quarter when there was a great deal of ball movement and running the floor.
Anthony seems to be the only player not willing to play that style, but Stoudemire sounded as if he were trying to make a big sell.
"We've just got to buy into Mike D'Antoni's system. It works,'' Stoudemire said.
When asked what might be holding anyone back from buying into it, he replied, "It's new to most of the guys, so it takes time to figure it out and understand how it works.''
Billups also struggled with eight of the team's 18 turnovers, most on missed passes. "It takes a while, man. I'm not being impatient,'' Billups said.
Notes & quotes:Stoudemire has had a running feud with Bucks coach Scott Skiles. The two got into a heated exchange the last time the Knicks played here and Stoudemire blamed Skiles for his last technical foul, which he drew Feb. 23 by tossing his goggles to the bench after his sixth foul. "Scott Skiles [was] probably doing what he does best, being out of control, and [it] helped them get the call,'' Stoudemire said recently. He was drafted the summer after Skiles' last season in Phoenix, so he never played for him. "And,'' he added, "I'm glad I didn't.''
