For those of you not reading Grantland.com, get your shit together.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7424062/amare-stoudemire-early-season-struggles
I took some highlights out:
If you get a chance - read the article, there's lots of good video and pictures on there that really break down our struggles from an offensive scheme stance. Pruiti is one of the best up-and-coming NBA Analysts (his Rubio article from a few days ago is BRILLIANT), and this is a fantastic breakdown of exactly why Amare is struggling and how we can get better doing it.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7424062/amare-stoudemire-early-season-struggles
I took some highlights out:
Stoudemire is taking fewer shots at the rim, fewer shots from three to nine feet, and fewer shots from 10 to 15 feet this season. Instead, he's attempting a large number of "long 2s" ? shots between 16 and 23 feet. He's shooting 63.6 percent at the rim through his first three games, and 26 percent on long 2s.
Things were different last year. With Stoudemire at center, there was no other big man who needed to be in or around the paint. This opened up the middle for Stoudemire. On this possession, the Knicks' power forward and his defender are at the top of the key, which means there is no help defender in the paint. Stoudemire reads this, attacks the lane, and finishes at the rim.
Video from this season also shows that the Knicks could be using him better. In the three games Stoudemire has played, he has been involved in just one pick and roll as the screener. It's almost impossible to comprehend why a player who made a living as Steve Nash's pick-and-roll partner in Phoenix and who found similar ball-screen chemistry with Raymond Felton last year would be involved in just one pick and roll so far this season. For Stoudemire, the play is particularly effective because slipping and rolling after ball screens gets him moving to the rim, where he's all but unstoppable.
If the Knicks want Stoudemire to play closer to the basket, they need to make some changes. For starters, they should give Stoudemire the backup center minutes while Chandler is on the bench. One reason why Stoudemire posted a PER of 22.79 and scored 25.3 points per game last season is that he often matched up against centers who were slower and less athletic than him. Last year, many analysts focused on how the Knicks' lack of a true center made them a weak defensive team. Stoudemire's struggles so far this season are a reminder that the Knicks also benefited by playing small ball.
So far, the Knicks offense has looked disorganized and random, with players just floating around. Under these circumstances, Chandler naturally gravitates toward the rim, which clogs the lane and forces Stoudemire to rely on jumpers. To clear some space, the Knicks need to get more strategic about where Chandler and Stoudemire position themselves on offense. For example, when they want to isolate or post Stoudemire, they could position Chandler in the opposite corner, far enough away that his defender will have a long way to travel to help against Stoudemire's move. If that defender decides to help, Stoudemire will have a simple dump-off to a cutting Chandler. If he sticks with Chandler, Stoudemire has the space to take his man.
One final offensive scheme that might help the Knicks would be to run pick and rolls with Anthony and Stoudemire. Other teams with pairs of dynamic scorers, like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami or Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, have tried using their stars together in ball-screen situations, and have been very successful.
The fact that the Knicks haven't been running this play at least five times a game is mind-blowing. Anthony isn't the most willing passer, but putting him in situations that create wide-open passing lanes and easy scoring opportunities will invite him to share the ball. If teams focus on stopping Stoudemire's roll, Anthony can look for his shot off the screen.
If you get a chance - read the article, there's lots of good video and pictures on there that really break down our struggles from an offensive scheme stance. Pruiti is one of the best up-and-coming NBA Analysts (his Rubio article from a few days ago is BRILLIANT), and this is a fantastic breakdown of exactly why Amare is struggling and how we can get better doing it.