Basketball Free For All

Everything that follows is said with the utmost respect, as a true fan of Amare Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns. After all, he has recovered from both the dreaded microfracture and an even more devastating freak eye injury, either of which would probably cause some players to consider retirement. The guy has been through a lot in his eight years of service on the front lines of the NBA. That’s what makes everything that has to be said that much more difficult.

But it needs to be said.

This season Stoudemire is averaging 20.9 points on .567/.756 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.8 turnovers, which is right in line with his career averages, although admittedly down from his peak season (2007-08). However, it feels a little disappointing sometimes watching Amare play because he has all the physical gifts and basketball fundamentals to be one of the top five players in the game today. Top five. And yet he’s not.

What makes me sad is that the only thing keeping Amare from being a top five player in this league for the next five years is himself. It’s that simple. In fact, you can change the fate of the entire Phoenix Suns franchise from being a one-and-done playoff pushover to a legitimate contender in the loaded Western Conference in five easy steps.

1. Stop jawing at the referees.

Sometimes, you aren’t going to get the benefit of the doubt. Other times, you won’t get the superstar calls or the home cooking. You may even get downright screwed by the officials but talking to the refs never pays off for you, Amare. If you miss the bucket because you thought you were fouled and start talking instead of getting back you force your teammates to play five-on-four on defense. Which is a death sentence in the NBA, no matter who your opponent is.

If you have a legitimate gripe, cool off and let your diplomats, two-time MVP Steve Nash and the elder statesman Grant Hill, handle the situation with the officials during a dead ball. Or, let head coach Alvin Gentry take care of the situation in his own (sometimes belligerent) way. Better yet, channel that anger and frustration into intensity and focus on the court. Let those emotions be the motivation for you to elevate your game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the floor.

2. Avoid ticky-tack fouls and techs.

Once you start giving the refs the stink eye and getting in their ear, they become more likely to call ticky-tack fouls and technical fouls. It happens without fail. The referees are human, just like everyone else, and respond vindictively to negative treatment. These ticky-tack fouls are so costly for a couple of reasons. First, they remove your defensive presence out of the game by forcing you to not contest as many shots in order to avoid picking up further fouls. Fouls (for paint dwellers) should always be used to prevent a high percentage look or punish someone for trying to score in the paint. Otherwise, it is a wasted foul.

Even more importantly, these cheap fouls give other teams opportunities to pick up free points, which you just can’t do if you are a team that is notorious for giving up big leads to mediocre teams. For that reason alone, avoid technical fouls too. Techs are especially annoying because they are so easily preventable and more often than not lead to free points. It really is a cut and dried lose-lose situation. Especially in crunch time — the consequences are exponentially higher in crunch time.

3. Pursue every board and loose ball.

One of the few things that has been killing the Suns this season is the battle of the (defensive) boards. The Suns are a lowly 29th in the League in defensive rebounding rate, which is an estimate of the number of defensive rebounds a team snags while on the floor (ahead of only the Warriors). Remember, when you fail to get the defensive board you allow the other team second chance points. Giving up second chance opportunities severely limits a basketball team’s chances of winning (to put it nicely).

When a ball gets loose, sacrifice your body and hit the deck to reduce the number of second chances you allow opposing teams to have. When your team consistently loses the battle of the turnovers, you just can’t win against the League’s elite teams in a seven game series. Extra possessions are so costly. In games that are often decided by a only point or two, a defensive rebound or recovered loose ball early in the game truly can swing the outcome of a game or even an entire playoff series.

4. Contest every shot.

Good team defense starts with the point and ends with the center; these two positions anchor a team’s defense. Unfortunately for the Suns, their starting point guard is a defensive liability of the highest magnitude. Most Suns fans didn’t even realize how good Shawn Marion was at guarding his own man while also helping with Nash’s guy until he was playing in South Beach alongside Dwyane Wade. With no one to cover up Nash’s mistakes on the perimeter, players get more opportunities at higher percentage looks closer to the basket.

Especially at the rim. That is where it hurts the most and ironically is also where STAT can have the biggest impact. Right now, the Suns allow opposing teams to shoot .603 percent at the rim (good for 25th overall). For reference, the Celtics only allow .557 at the rim. Granted, the blame does not fall solely on your shoulders; fellow starting big man Channing Frye is equally culpable but gets more of a pass for being a little more grounded than you.

Following steps one and two would allow you, Mr. Stoudemire, the opportunity to make a much bigger impact while protecting the paint. By avoiding foul trouble and also the referees’ ire, you could be much more aggressive coming from the weak side altering shots and drawing charges in the lane to bail the guards out. These little things would help go a long way towards lifting the Suns from a terrible defensive squad to an average defensive team. Simply having an average defense would allow Phoenix’s league-leading offense a shot of winning the game night in and night out.

5. Demand the same from teammates.

Steps one through four are the easy steps as they amount to you matching the effort exerted on both ends of the floor. They involve you looking at yourself in the mirror and correcting some of the flaws in your game and thereby maximizing the Sun’s chance at success.

Step five is arguably more difficult than steps one through four combined, but is also arguably the most important of all of the steps. It is difficult because it requires leadership and comes with the often uncomfortable job of having to hold your teammates accountable for mistakes and mental lapses. It requires you to lead by example both during games and during practices.

As currently constructed, the Suns have solid defensive role players on the bench: Jared Dudley, Louis Amundson, Goran Dragic, Jarron Collins and Robin Lopez are all capable defenders. You, Amare need to set a high standard for yourself and the team and then everything else will fall in place. Nash is the unchallenged alpha dog on the offensive side of the floor. He he gives the Suns their identity, he makes them click. Conversely, you have the unique opportunity to do the same for the team on the other end of the floor.

For a role model, look no further than Boston’s Kevin Garnett; just don’t be such a dick. That’s not what Suns fans are about. He exemplifies the spirit of steps one through five, even though he may get carried away sometimes. The fact is, KG is intensely passionate and takes great pride in the work he puts in on defense. Many young big men could steal a page or two from his playbook.

You do this, steps one through five, and you give yourself and your franchise a chance to make a deep postseason run. You don’t and you are watching basketball in June from your couch, like the rest of us chumps. If you follow these simple steps, you’ll also play your way into a max contract and will be financially set for the rest of your life. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me but in the end the choice is Stoudemire’s and Stoudemire’s alone.