Amar’e Stoudemire believes the New York Knicks need to focus on defence – NBA News
Ace power forward Amar’e Stoudemire believes that if the New York Knicks are to win an NBA World Championship any time soon, their focus has to be on defence.
The Knicks star hailed defence as the mark of championship winning sides, and added that if the Knicks can improve that aspect of their game, it will be hard for anyone to stop them reaching their goals.
"For us to win a championship, defence has to be a primary force," Stoudemire told the NY Daily Times. "It has to be something that we focus in on. Everyone has to buy into it and everyone has to become much better."
Stoudemire arrived in the Big Apple only last summer as the New York Knicks started a rebuilding process to take the franchise back to relevancy in NBA. He proved to be a big success instantly and inspired the team with his stellar
play.
In the middle of the campaign though, even more star power was brought in. Super star small forward Carmelo Anthony made the move from the Denver Nuggets to form one of the most powerful duos in the NBA and the two helped New York
into the playoffs, for the first time in seven years.
That was where catastrophe struck.
Stoudemire’s back gave way and the Knicks were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. Defence though proved to be the real Achilles heel for the Knicks who have become a superb offensive unit just because of the presence
of Carmelo and Amar’e.
Stoudemire is therefore understandably pleased with the arrival of Mike Woodson as an assistant coach at the franchise. Woodson served as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks for many years and was a lead assistant to Larry Brown when
the Detroit Pistons routed the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals back in 2004.
He comes with enough defensive credentials for Stoudemire to put his faith in the former Detroit assistant.
"I think it's great," Stoudemire said Wednesday. "It's definitely what we talked about, improving defensively. With the help of Mike (Woodson) it's going to be really positive for us. But it's up to us as players to take that commitment
and implement it."
Stoudemire himself will need to step up in a big way on defence next season, with his commitment on that end questioned at times last season. Some believe that his fitness problems have been a factor in Amar’e not being as energetic
at the backend of the court as he ought to be. The forward though has assured fans that he is perfectly fine after a long recuperation period thanks to the NBA lockout and is looking forward for the next NBA season to begin.
"No question," Stoudemire said. "I feel great. I feel good. I've been resting and rehabbing all summer. That's my main priority."
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