Amare - GONE......

[WoobieZarz]

Kinda thought this was coming, but having to have surgery again is NOT good for the young star...

"On Wednesday morning, Amaré Stoudemire’s 2005-06 season officially ended after the forward/center underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The procedure, performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Carter at Banner Samaritan Outpatient Surgical Center, cleared out debris caused by the wear and tear of the knee cap which resulted in an inflammation and the development of a Baker’s cyst. During the surgery, no isolated defect was found and the cyst was aspirated.

“Hopefully he will have a full recovery and his ailments will be put behind him so he can concentrate on the rest of his career,” point guard Steve Nash said. “That’s the most important thing for his longevity.”

Stoudemire will be on crutches for the next 10 days or so but his return to rehabilitative court activities is estimated to take six-to-eight weeks. In the meantime, Suns players say their focus must remain on maintaining their Pacific Division lead, as well as the impending playoffs without the services of their top scorer from a season ago.

“We set our goals this year and we’ve still got to go out there and play for a championship,” Shawn Marion said. “We’re all together and we wish everybody was healthy but they’re not. But it’s not about one person. It’s about everybody on this team.”

Nash added, “We are going to play on regardless so I don’t think there’s too much conceptualizing about it. I think guys are out here trying to work out and play to be ready for the playoffs.”

Sporting one of the smaller lineups in the NBA, the Suns playmaker is well aware the odds may not appear in Phoenix’s favor come the postseason, but that only encourages the defending Pacific Division Champs that much more.

“We’re a very small team so there are going to be a lot of people that don’t believe in us and rightfully so,” Nash said. “No team as small as us has ever won it all, but that’s fine. We accept the challenge and hopefully we can continue to improve.”

The Suns headed into the 2005-06 regular season knowing Stoudemire would be sidelined for an extended period of time thanks to a microfracture procedure on his left knee last October. Even in his absence, last season’s most explosive offense started sinking baskets at another league-best rate, once again rocketing to the top of the Pacific Division standings.

With the latest setback, guys like James Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, Eddie House and Brian Grant will have to step up – something they’ve been doing time and time again this season.

“These guys will really have to play well,” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s really important to be getting Brian back. That’s getting a big guy back in the middle. We’ve got two of our big guys down now, and it’s a real good thing we’ve got three.”

The Suns have accepted the fact they will be without the services of their All-Star forward/center as they gear up for the postseason, meaning look for the team to continue with their style of ball that’s undoubtedly worked in Stoudemire’s absence earlier this season.

“You’ve got to respect Amaré for putting in so much work to come back, but the bottom line is that he wasn’t ready,” Marion added. “Now it’s up to the rest of us to go out there and play and be ready for the playoffs.” "

Or link if you prefer to read from www
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/release_060405.html

 

[Benny J]

Poor bastard...so much talent, but so many injuries....

 

[chadjaja]

You will never see the same Amare back again. Not the first time a great player goes down but its always a damn shame. He will have to adjust and change his style of play from now on.

 

[lockymac]

I had a Baker's Cyst in my knee and underwent an arthroscopy to remove it also.
That procedure in itself is that significant, but I agree that as much as we would all like to see Amare return to his former self, I think that's now looking very unlikely

 

[WoobieZarz]

Do ya reckon he'll come back with the same excitement or speed/power combination that he had prior to injury? - dunking on just about anyone, rebounding 14+ per game, etc?

Sounds nasty when ya read about operations.

 

[hsv006]

Yes thats a shame... ive seen him play on a few dvds and he will no doubt be a big loss to the rest of the team...still hopefully a fast recovery and he can be back exciting the fans ..

 

[JZA]

****, basketball can be a cruel sport. some players just get unlucky with injuries. and you just know some players like bron and wade are going to coast through their careers with no major injuries whatsoever. so unfair.

im still keeping the faith with amare though, even if he comes back at 50-75% of his best hell still be a great player.

 

[clarkescards]

It'll be about finding comfort in what he can do on the court, not trying to do what he was doing last season. I think Webber is a good example. He spent so much time & energy trying to get back to being the player he once was, but now seems comfortable in what he can do, and is solid across the board, even if not the huge numbers he previously averaged.

 

[gemz23]

this is a huge setback on his career. wid both knee weaken becoz of injury i dont think we will see the best amare anymore. he will still be a great player but not the beast that we anticipated to be.

 

[jimboiitmac]

damn.. Tmac and Amare look in deep trouble right now, two of the best players in the NBA for sure..