New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire wants NBA World Championship next season
While most NBA players are currently concerned about the lockout, New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire is already thinking of bigger things ahead. The forward sat down for an interview recently and revealed he was aiming for
the Larry O’Brien trophy next season.
The All-Star has been out injured since the playoffs. His health has often been a concern for the player and seeing him forced out of action during the playoffs was not a pretty sight for Knicks fans. Amar’e has used the summer
to rehabilitate. He has not featured in any exhibition games in foreign countries nor has he been around the pro-am leagues, still the forward seems sure he will be ready for the coming NBA season.
“No question,” Stoudemire responded to when asked whether he’d be ready for the start of training camp. “I feel great. I feel good. I’ve been resting and rehabbing all summer. That’s my main priority.”
The training camps are scheduled to start in October. However the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA are still nowhere near agreeing on a new CBA, which means the training camps are very unlikely to start on time,
maybe even the season.
But Stoudemire doesn’t really bother himself with those issues. He came to New York last summer with one goal in mind, the NBA World Championship. During the last season the Knicks also recruited super star forward Carmelo Anthony,
from the Denver Nuggets. Stoudemire thus believes that they have the foundation in place for a serious charge at the title, and spoke of what they need to do to bring the title home.
“For us to win a championship, defence has to be a primary force,” Stoudemire said. “It has to be something that we focus in on. Everyone has to buy into it and everyone has to become much better [defensively].”
That has pretty much been the consensus. New York head coach Mike D’Antoni is known for his fast paced, offense oriented approach to basketball. He has turned his side into a formidable force in attack, but analysts believe they
still need to improve the defence in order to become a major power in the league.
Enter Mike Woodson. The former Atlanta Hawks head coach was recently signed as an assistant by the Knicks. He has credible defensive pedigree; he was part of the staff at the Detroit Pistons back in 2004 when their defence specialist
side won the title.
Stoudemire spoke of the appointment and believed it could only be a good thing for the Knicks,
“I think it’s great,” Stoudemire said. “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.”
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