Amar’e Filling in at Center for Injured Knicks
Who would’ve thought before this season that Amar’e Stoudemire would sub into a game for Tyson Chandler as the Knicks’ backup center?
“The only difference is I run more pick-and-rolls at the center position than I would at power forward,” STAT said afterwards. “That’s basically the only difference. A lot of centers are not fast enough to compete, so that poses a mismatch from that aspect, and it works out as an advantage at times.”
However, Stoudemire at center poses a problem for the Knicks defensively. Just look at the first five minutes of the second quarter on Monday. When Chandler was sitting and Stoudemire was alone protecting the middle, the Nets had nine rebounds — three offensive — and Kris Humphries had three buckets inside. The Nets took the second quarter 21-17 and led 47-41 at the half.
After the game, Stoudemire admitted the team is missing the two injured bigs.
“Camby and Rasheed definitely are two quality rebounders that have been doing it for a while in this league,” he said. “They’re definitely needed for sure.”
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