Over a 16-month span that ended in May, Amar’e Stoudemire lost, in no particular order: his health, his brother, his head coach, his primacy in the Knicks’ universe, his scoring touch and, in the end, a little of his dignity.

By the time the Knicks were shoved out of the playoffs in Miami, Stoudemire appeared diminished on every level, his Q-rating and efficiency rating in simultaneous free fall.

“I’m still that player I was last year,” Stoudemire insisted then, vowing a return to full strength and “an incredible year” next season.

The mission began last week, on a quiet ranch in Katy, Tex., where Stoudemire took the first drop-step in a midcareer makeover. The pick-and-rolling, power-dunking star is now a student of the low post. His teacher is a soft-spoken Hall of Famer with a Nigerian accent and two championship rings.

via Howard Beck of The New York Times