09-04-2007, 11:42 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Tampa, Florida
Age: 25
Posts: 15,783
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Amare looks forward to season
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After playing in a tournament that the U.S. dominated - winning each game by an average of 39.5 points - Stoudemire was asked if it would be hard to return to the Suns. "Not at all," he answered. "I could see that if I was going back to the (Charlotte) Bobcats. I'm going back to the Phoenix Suns, baby!"
Stoudemire is in love with basketball more than ever since breaking free from the physical and mental limitations caused by knee surgeries in October 2005 and April 2006.
After lots of summer days working at US Airways Center and with USA Basketball, Stoudemire is giving himself two days off before going back to "the lab."
"I'm so focused on winning a title," he said. "It's all I can think about."
Asked last week what he needs to do to lead Phoenix to a title, Stoudemire said, "Stay on the bench," a smiling jab at his suspension, which the Suns feel was largely responsible for their playoff series loss to San Antonio.
Against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, he jumped off the bench when Carmelo Anthony went down on a hard foul, prompting teammates to laugh and Stoudemire to tell U.S. assistant and Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni, "I'm going to go have a seat."
Stoudemire said he has the key to beating San Antonio but it is a secret. But it really isn't: He will concentrate on his defensive progress.
"This helped me personally from a defensive standpoint," he said. "I took a lot of heed to the strategies (U.S. assistant) Nate McMillan and Coach K (U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski) stressed. I've worked on that, and I'm ready to show that during the season."
But Sunday's third quarter showed that his defense is a work in progress. Tourney MVP Luis Scola got the best of Stoudemire during the period, especially on a baseline drive from the corner that ended in a three-point play.
"The kid is very goal-oriented," D'Antoni said of Stoudemire. "His goal now is to be the best player in the league and lead us to a championship. I hope he keeps hitting his goals."
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Amare looks forward to season
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