Hamilton: Stoudemire struggling to fit in with Knicks

NEW YORK – Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony seem to be at odds…

At least on the basketball court.

From the day Anthony arrived, Knicks fans immediately began to expect great things and playoff victories from Stat-e-Melo. Chemistry, we were told, would take time to develop.

But if it seems like things are getting worse, it might be because they are.

Between last season and this season, Amar’e and ‘Melo have played 37 regular season games together and still haven’t been able to consistently co-exist on the court. They have flashes and moments, but they are few and far between. Their record together is 17-20.

Last season, in the 53 games he played for the Knicks prior to the Carmelo trade, Amar’e led the team to a 27-26 record while averaging 26.3 points per game and converting on about 51 percent of his 19.4 field goal attempts.

Most importantly, though, he had a point guard to get him the ball where he wanted it, and shooters to space the floor to give him room to operate. He found a comfort zone in the offense and also spent time playing center. At the 5, he was able to use his speed and agility to score on his counterparts.

Now, everything has changed.

After the Knicks acquired Anthony back on February 21, he and Amar’e played 25 games together at the end of the 2010-2011 season, Amar’e scored 23 points per game and converted on a lower percentage (49) of the fewer looks he got (18.1). Even still, the Knicks hovered around .500. They ended up going 12-13 after losing the final two games of the regular season to the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, respectively.

That his scoring and shot attempts were down wasn’t surprising, though one could have reasonably expected that Melo’s presence would have alleviated some of the defensive pressure and helped Amar’e shoot a higher percentage.

Obviously, that didn’t happen.

Now, with the Knicks entering tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a record of 6-8, everyone is talking about the apparent lack of chemistry between Amar’e and ‘Melo and the Knicks’ offensive woes.

Stat has become the poster child of the ineptitude, as he’s scoring just 18.3 points per game while converting on 41 percent of his 16 field goal attempts.

Offensively, Amar’e is struggling, but a huge part of the reason why is because he’s simply not fitting in with his teammates. It’s actually quite odd, considering less than a year ago, this was his team.

Amar’e needs shot makers in the backcourt to keep the floor spaced and make the opposition pay for double teams. But Toney Douglas (.232), Landry Fields (.188), and Iman Shumpert (.316) aren’t exactly lighting it up from downtown.

Amar’e needs a ballhandler who can either thread the needle in a pick-and-roll or deliver the ball when he picks-and-pops, but thus far, none of his teammates have been able to consistently deliver him the ball where and when he wants it.  Currently, in a 30 team league, the Knicks rank No. 26 in assists per game. Collectively, they’re only getting 18.1 dimes per contest.

Amar’e needs to play against bigger, slower players, because he lacks a reliable post-game and needs to be able to use his agility and athleticism to get around his defender. Tyson Chandler negatively affects this in two ways: First, Stoudemire is now playing power forward and is being guarded by other nimble fours that can neutralize his agility advantage, and second, even if he beats his defender, Chandler’s defender is always close enough to help. Chandler isn’t a jump shooting center like Mehmet Okur or Spencer Hawes. He likes to roll to the basket and hang out in the paint, too. That allows his defender to easily help on Amar’e, when necessary.

To make matters worse, Stat hasn’t been a very willing passer. He’s dribbling into double teams and forcing bad shots. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s struggling to find his game. And with Anthony taking 20.2 shots per game, Stoudemire is faced with a dilemma every time he gets the ball: Use it, or lose it.

Although ‘Melo is currently averaging what would be a career high 4.3 assists per game, the majority of them are alley-oops to Chandler. Entering play Thursday night, Chandler led the league in converted alley-oops, with 12. Thank Melo for that.

And thank (or blame) coach Mike D’Antoni for not giving Stoudemire more opportunities down the stretch of close games. He’s simply not found his comfort zone. The end result is a struggling Stoudemire who’s still trying to fit in.

After the loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday, Stat admitted it. When asked why he was struggling, he was honest. “I’m trying to figure it out,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure out my areas here in the offense… I’m just staying confident and continuing to work on my game.”

Shumpert—currently the starting point guard for the Knicks—had this to say after their Wednesday loss to the Suns, “We are making it tough on our two scorers… We have to do a better job earlier getting them easier shots… We have to make the offense smoother.”

That’d be a welcome sight in New York.

Although Stoudemire is a unique offensive force, his best attribute is his ability to finish plays. He needs to get the ball in the spots where he is comfortable and right now, the Knicks simply aren’t delivering. His frustration boiled over after the Orlando loss.

In one of his only opportunities down the stretch, Stoudemire drove across the lane on Glen Davis and threw down a thunderous dunk to give the Knicks an 85-83 lead with a little over 7 minutes to go. He wouldn’t score again and got very few touches.

After the game he expressed his frustration. “At that point in the game, I wanted the ball. I was ready to dominate, because that’s what stars do,” he said.

He hasn’t, and anyone around the Knicks can see the frustration on Stoudemire’s face and hear it in his voice. Although Chandler seems genuinely dejected after each loss, Amar’e seems to be taking things a little harder. ‘Melo, Chandler, and even Coach D’Antoni seem to end many questions by reminding reporters that it’s still fairly early in the season.

Don’t say that to Stat.

“We can’t keep making that early excuse, we need to start pushing forward right now… I’ve been a winner my whole career,” he said.

His frustration is obvious when you watch him on the court, but moreso when speaking with him in the locker room. But make no mistake: Stat is a leader who is used to winning and is frustrated that his team isn’t, and that he isn’t getting many opportunities to ensure that they do.

It’s not the lack of shots that bothering him most, it’s the losing. It will be interesting to see how the Knicks offense looks tonight after having two practices within the past three days.

Carmelo has the ability to score 40 points on clearouts, but that’s not something that Amar’e can do. And it’s not an effective gameplan in today’s NBA.

Coach D’Antoni recognizes this. And he’s hoping that Baron Davis can help. Two days ago—after losing to the Suns—he assured the media that Davis would make his debut within “a few days, at most” after getting on the practice court.

The Knicks’ most desperate need is at the point guard position. New York’s potentially devastating frontline needs a floor general that can command respect from opposing defenses, make good decisions, and keep everyone involved—especially Stoudemire.

At this point, everyone just seems to be hoping that the Knicks won’t have to wait until Steve Nash hits free agency this summer to fill the void.

Until then, Stoudemire will probably continue to struggle a bit. He might even continue to force the action and find himself in foul trouble due to his frustration (or his well-documented defensive deficiencies).

But at the end of the day, the Knicks have a solid group of play finishers that will benefit immensely from the presence of a floor general.

At 6-8, with a four games-in-five nights road trip quickly approaching, coach D’Antoni needs to help get Stoudemire going. Already, there have been “We want Woodson” chants at Madison Square Garden. If the Knicks finish the first 20 games of this 66-game, shortened season at 8-12, it probably wouldn’t bode well for his long-term future in Gotham.

You don’t need Amar’e’s goggles to see that.

Moke Hamilton covers the New York Knicks for SheridanHoops.com and is the lead NBA Writer for CHARGED.fm. For the latest on the New York Knicks and all things NBA, follow him on Twitter.