Amar'e on fire, but is he flaming out?
WASHINGTON -- Amar'e Stoudemire averages 8 free throw attempts per game, which is the ninth most in the NBA, yet if you watch him on a nightly basis, you could argue that he doesn't get nearly enough calls for a player who draws a lot of contact when he goes to the rim. Stoudemire (36 points vs. Wizards) matched Willie Naulls' franchise record with his seventh straight 30-point game, but afterward admitted he is starting to feel the price of this torrid streak, which has resulted in seven straight wins for the Knicks (15-9).
Stoudemire said he is experiencing soreness in both of his thighs and in his neck from the pounding he has taken over the first 24 games of the season. Stoudemire played 42 minutes in the win over Washington and is averaging 37.2 minutes per game, which is tied with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the 18th-highest average in the NBA.
But despite burnout concerns, Stoudemire said he wants the heavy workload.
"I work extremely hard in the offseason to stay in top shape," he told me, "so whatever Coach Mike D'Antoni requires for me, minutes-wise, I'm totally down for it."
D'Antoni made it clear he has no plans to scale back Stoudemire's minutes or those of Raymond Felton, who is 11th in the NBA at 38.4 minutes per game.
"I just don't see the difference between playing 37 minutes per game and 35 or 34," D'Antoni said. "I've never seen the difference. I think they're fine with the minutes and we continue to monitor them and see how they feel. But they're going to have to play a significant bulk of the minutes. That's just the way life is. For us to be good, they're going to have to play a lot of minutes."
So for those wondering if the Knicks might make a trade for a power forward to spell Stoudemire or a backup point guard to relieve Felton, it appears this isn't a mission as the trade season begins to pick up. The Knicks could use some size to play next to Stoudemire, especially as insurance for Ronny Turiaf's balky knee, but D'Antoni seems to like playing this small lineup with the 6-10 Stoudemire at center and the 6-8 Wilson Chandler at power forward.
Stoudemire has always been a big minutes player, but right now his 37.2 minutes per game is a career-high. His career average is 34.4. Last season when he played in all 82 games, he averaged 34.6 minutes per game. His previous career high was in 2008-09, when he averaged 36.9 minutes per game, but that was at the four spot, with Shaquille O'Neal at center. And that was also over 53 games; he missed the final 29 games due to eye surgery.
This run he's on is what puts him in the MVP conversation, but what he does now over this tough schedule ahead is what could solidify him as a viable candidate for the award.
