May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (left) with small forward Carmelo Anthony (right) after Stoudemire fouls out of the game during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Olajuwon will fly from his Texas home to spend several days next week training some of their players at the team’s practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y.

“The Dream” already spent two-and-a-half weeks training Stoudemire in the summer, but is expected to once again work with STAT, along with Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby.

This is great news for the Knicks as they have had issues scoring in the post in the past. That could be great for spacing on the floor as it is often thought that Anthony and Stoudemire can’t play well together. If they get one of them scoring in the post consistently, that could solve some of their problems. Olajuwon at least thinks so, as he feels the two can play on the floor together just fine.

“They both have to realize that the most important thing is not how great you are individually,” Olajuwon said (via Broussard). “You’re remembered for how many games you win. So to get to play with another great offensive player should help you. It should make your job easier. You have to work well together. You can’t be competitors with one another.”

Olajuwon played with Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson for three years in Houston and it is Woodson who set up next week’s training session.

However he believes that Stoudemire, now with a post-game, shouldn’t be primarily entrenched on the block. He feels the two should complement each other and not necessarily compete against each other, which has been a trend in the past.

“It shouldn’t be Amar’e just staying in the post because he can be a scorer in the paint and outside,” Olajuwon said. “It’s the same thing for Carmelo. He can score in the post and outside. So if Carmelo is in the post, Amar’e can be at the foul line and he can make that shot. If Amare’s in the post, Carmelo can make the shot from the free-throw line, too. They shouldn’t be competing against each other; they should be complementing each other. They need each other to win.”

Winning is the key thing for the Knicks and perhaps the biggest winner on the team is Chandler, who Olajuwon sees unlimited potential in on the offensive end and not just as the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

“You can see that he has great timing by the way he rebounds, blocks shots and catches lobs,” he said. “He’s got great timing and reflexes. I haven’t seen him use any moves of his own, though. But there’s no way a guy with that kind of talent and timing should not have effective moves. So I want to teach him some moves so he can use all of that talent. If you add some moves to all the talent and energy he’s got, it will open up a whole new door for him.”

This can only be a positive for the Knicks frontcourt, which is still the strength of their team.

Anthony is already a good scorer in the post, but if he improves and the likes of Stoudemire and Chandler become threats to score on the block, it adds another dimension to the Knicks’ offense.

Training camp is still a few weeks away, but this is exciting news to jump start that.

Hopefully Olajuwon has a positive effect on the Knicks’ Big Three and they can figure out of to make each other better on the floor. If they can accomplish that, the sky could be the limit for the potential of this team.

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Mar 7, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire (1) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bulls defeated the Bucks 106-104. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

There’s more good news coming out of a slow month around the New York Knicks.

That news comes from forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who just got done working out with the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon, and the results have been positive.

“He helped me a lot,” STAT said to Houston’s FOX affiliate (via ESPN’s Jared Zwerling). “A lot of moves that he has really, really translate to my game. To now develop a post-game is going to be remarkable for me. It’s going to catch a lot of my opponents off guard and it’s going to be a great year for me.”

That is music to Knicks’ fans ears if things play out that way for Stoudemire.

You have to give Stoudemire credit for recognizing a weakness in his game and showing the willingness to correct it. Even though STAT is a six-time All-Star, there’s always room to improve one’s game, and hopefully Amar’e did exactly that.

Similar to Olajuwon, Stoudemire has great quickness and strength, so learning from him makes perfect sense.

If Stoudemire can become a force to deal with in the post, it makes the Knicks a very dangerous team. With an established front-court that features STAT, Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony, the one thing missing is a guy that can score consistently on the block.

Learning to score on the block can’t be easy for Stoudemire, who has made his name scoring in pick-and-roll situations and on isolation plays. It’s going to be a different world altogether for Amar’e, so the work must continue. However the early signs are positive.

“I have the IQ to implement this and learn fast, but it’s not easy,” he said. “There’s a lot of detail that goes into it. He’s very, very swift with his footwork, and he’s very agile also at 50 still. It’s great to learn from him. This is a great opportunity because you never how long he’s going to be able to do this. So while I’m young and can still learn from one of the best, I’m very blessed to be a part of it.”

The reality of the situation is that STAT will still learn on his mid-range jumper a ton, but that’s not what coach Mike Woodson needs from him for the Knicks to contend in 2013.

The Knicks need a consistent post scorer in the worst way and if Stoudemire can provide some semblance of that this season, then the Knicks will take a huge step in the right direction.

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Amar’e Stoudemire will be joining the likes of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwight Howard as players who have trained with Hakeem Olajuwon in his summer camp. The camp has been known to have a dramatic effect on a players post play, which is something that STAT has lacked in his game.

Mike Woodson spoke after the season about a few ways he wanted his players to improve during the offseason. He thought that Carmelo Anthony could slim down, which resulted in Anthony heading into the olympics 12 pounds lighter than he ended the season at. Woodson’s other request was that he wanted to use Amar’e more in the post next season, and he subsequently set up a training camp with Olajuwon. 

Stoudemire had a far less productive season last year than in 2010. His scoring dropped form 25.3 ppg to 17.5 ppg, his field goal percentage dropped from 50% to 48%, and his rebounding decreased as well. STAT had a few excuses including the death of his brother and the bulging disk in his back, but critics accused him of losing athleticism and the season marking the beginning of his decline.

The hope is that by learning from one of the best post players ever to play the game Amar’e will be able to implicate his new skills into the Knicks’ offense. Besides ‘Melo, the Knicks have no powerful post threat on the team, and that makes the offense much easier to defend. With the addition of STAT in the post it will create a new look on the court, and allow him to pass out of the double team to the open perimeter players.

The Olajuwon Camp has created two of the best post games in the league: Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Both players won championships after working with Olajuwon. Dwight Howard solidified his place as the most dominant big man in the league after his time at the camp.

Stoudemire is also working with Olajuwon in order to improve defensively, which is something that can help the already improved defensive Knicks. Defensive Player of The Year Tyson Chandler with a new and improved Amar’e Stoudemire would be hard to defend and score on, and if you include Marcus Camby on the bench then you are looking at a more than capable front line rotation.

The bottom line is that we can expect a much greater Amar’e next season, and a much greater Stoudemire is the key to a much greater Knicks team.

Dec 14, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets former center Hakeem Olajuwon waves to fans during a game against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Kings 118-105. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

Stoudemire is mostly known as a pick-and-roll finisher and a mid-range shooter and adding some semblance of a post-game will be huge.

Olajuwon, 49, has previously worked one-on-one with three of the best players in the game: Kobe Bryant (2009), Dwight Howard (2010) and LeBron James last summer. Each player showed immediate improvement on the block in the following season. Stoudemire’s future work with Olajuwon could signal Mike Woodson’s coaching strategy to use him more in the low post and have Chandler become the team’s main high pick-and-roller with Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony.

Stoudemire’s low-post game, which was practically absent during all of the 2011-12 season, needs to become a factor if the Knicks are going to contend. Looking in deeper, it could mean that the paint will be his new home—whereas he previously loved to take jumpers from the elbow. If Stoudemire can score from the block effectively, it adds an entire new dimension to the Knicks offense.

When STAT’s jumper is on, he’s very good. But that hasn’t been the case too much lately.  Developing a post-up game makes him more of a threat in the paint and therefore a more complete player. If he picks up Olajuwon’s pointers quickly, he will be a threat and headache for opposing teams.

The Knicks can’t be a jump shooting team and need to add the ability to score on the block.

If Stoudemire becomes that guy, we could see a much more balanced team in 2013.

After Stoudemire’s lack-luster 2011-12 campaign, which saw him score 17.5 points per game, eight points behind his total from the season prior, a slight change is imminent.

Not only did Carmelo Anthony take some of Stoudemire’s production when he arrived in 2011, but defenses figured out how to slow Stoudemire down. They forced more jumpers, boxed-out effectively to limit offensive rebounds.

The frustration showed on Stoudemire’s part.

In addition, Jeremy Lin, with the ball in his hands a good percentage of the time, took away from some touches for Stoudemire.

If he wants to be successful in this offense with Lin, and Anthony taking the majority of the shots, he is going to have to turn to the post in order to get touches this upcoming season.

It was a great move for Stoudemire to seek out Olajuwon. It was a move that was tough to make, given his pride, but it’s a move he may be able to look back on a few years from now and say was the right decision.

Look at the impact Olajuwon had on LeBron last season. If he has similar results with STAT, the Knicks could be very tough to deal with.

Tyson Chandler is also expected to spend time with Olajuwon.

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(source: Yardbarker.com) Like a little girl in puppy love, New York hopes we're the one LeBron's eyeing.

Seems ESPN has launched ESPN NewYork.com today and decided to promote it by rehashing the ol’ Will LeBron James Go To New York story.  There’s a surprisingly large amount of Nothing New, mixed in with Shameless Sensationalizing, Idiotic Conclusions Based On Personal Feelings, and just Awful Math.  That said, there were maybe a couple of Intriguing Bits to me, but it might all feel redundant to y’all.  Without further ado:

Idiotic Conclusions:

The worst part was where the sportswriters speculated the percent chance of LeBron going to one team or another.  Let’s start with Mark Stein saying there’s a 10% chance that LeBron will go to Dallas.  10%???  10% means 1 in 10!  You’re going out tonight and your choosing between your ten favorite restaurants — that gives each one a really good shot at being chosen.  Thankfully, of the four other Dallas writers, they all only gave it a 1-3% chance.  I like Stein’s writing a bunch, but his thesis his based on this you-can-substitute-LeBron’s-name-with-anyone statement:

I firmly believe LeBron likes the thought of playing with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trusts Mark Cuban to be an owner who will always spend whatever it takes to contend and loves the city of Dallas and Cowboys football

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