Is Amare for real???

[sike]

He is leading the league in scoring (has 15 more field goals than Kobe in one less game than Kobe), field goal % (58%) and averaging 9.2 rebounds....will he come back to Earth or is this the New Dominant big in the NBA?

Nash must be Amare's new best friend [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[grndmstr_c]

Nash must be Amare's new best friend

I'd wager so. Amare's shooting percentages are up across the board this year (jump-shooting is up from 35.6% to 41%, inside scoring is also up from 61.5% to 70.9%), and it's not hard to pin a good bit of that improvement on Nash when the assisted percentage of Amare's field goals has likewise climbed from 44% and 47%, respectively last year to 59% and 58% this year. The comparison to Dirk is an interesting one, too. His conversion percentages are also up across the board (46.9% and 65.4% for jump and inside last year; 49% and 81% this year), but the assisted percentage is way, way down; from 73% and 69% to 55% and 35%, respectively, which, in my mind, makes the improvement in Dirk's stats even more significant in terms of individual player evaluation. One other tidbit on Amare that's a bit more tenuous because the available data is sparse and less specific than would be ideal. The hallmark of the Nash/Stoudamire pairing has been a wickedly effective offense, but as you scan through the data on lineups in which Stoudamire was on the court but Nash sat in favor of Barbosa things look different, and the consistently high offensive productivity team-wise gives way to mediocrity with but an occasional offensive burst. Additionally, Stoudamire's +/-, while very solid and improved over last year, isn't yet in the same league with guys like KG, TD, Dirk, James, or AK. So I'd say Amare's still a good player and a difficult matchup, who's improved his game from last year, and additionally has the good fortune to be playing with, perhaps the perfect point guard to compliment his atheltic forays into the paint.

[FishForLunch]

Must be the new`KG

[sike]

he does not pass like KG.

[#41]

he does not defend and rebound like kg, more like a new antawn jamison mixed with a little kg