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| Stoudemire tries on the customized Nikes he'll be wearing for the next six months. |
This is more of a plea than a blog entry, and anyone else who cares about the next decade of NBA basketball should be with me on this: It's time to worry about the threat to the league gathering in Amare Stoudemire's knees. (And maybe after that, we can get back to leggings.)
Last year's most explosive inside force is going under the knife for the second time this year¿and this operation intends to solve complications in his good knee. On behalf of myself and my reader (you're always there for me, Mom!), I'd like to request that Amare take his time coming back¿even if it cuts into some of next season. And especially if it cuts into some of Steve Nash's mangy mane.
Anyone who's watched Chris Webber play—or Penny Hardaway retire—in the last few seasons knows that major knee operations, unlike Carlos Boozer lawsuits, are no joke. The old Stoudemire destroyed anything between him and the basket en route to a tomahawk. The new Stoudemire couldn't score against New Jersey. He's young, he's athletic, and more than any other player in the league, he relies on his power and quickness to get the job done. Not only was he severely limited by favoring his right knee during three games this season, but the overcompensation sent him back to the operating room. (Or as I like to call it, the Allan Houston Training Center.)
As much as I miss watching him posterize various forwards and centers off of pick-and-rolls with Steve Nash, the more time Stoudemire spends in the hot tub, the better it is for basketball. And stop whining on behalf of Nash's prime¿the reigning MVP can play Phoenix's contact-free brand of run-and-gun for at least another half-decade. Add a healthy Stoudemire, and Nash picks up another MVP trophy before you can say, "Pert Plus might help with those split ends." But if Amare keeps rushing back onto the court, all Phoenix will ever be is the second coming of the early 2000 Mavs (and the third coming of the late '90s Kings).
So whether you're Phoenix's front office trying to justify a franchise-crippling contract, a fan thirsty for more nightly highlight dunks, or a doctor who smells another check, leave Amare alone. Otherwise, we'll wind up with yet another victim of microfracture knee surgery jogging up and down the court launching outside jumpers¿and that's worse for the sport of basketball than the New York Knicks.