Amar’e Stoudemire Ready to Incorporate Lessons from Hakeem Olajuwon


According to Amar’e Stoudemire, his summer time learning from Hakeem Olajuwon represented the first time he’s ever truly worked on and developed his postgame. STAT says he’s ready to take his game to the next level. Per the NY Post: “Having lost some of his speed and explosiveness last season, Stoudemire knew he needed to add a post game to extend his career as an All-Star caliber big man. He will turn 30 next month and has an unpredictable back. ‘I’m ready to step into a new era of my career,’ Stoudemire vowed. ‘It’s going to benefit my career and I’ll become more of a complete player, having an all-around game.’ Stoudemire averaged 17.5 points last season — his lowest total in a non-injury year since his rookie campaign. Hence, he spent three weeks at Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston ranch after the disappointing season. Knicks coach Mike Woodson watched the tutorial. Woodson, who played with Olajuwon for three seasons in Houston, invited Olajuwon to the Knicks’ Greenburgh, N.Y., practice facility in September for two weeks of more teachings. Stoudemire is a quick study and can recount Olajuwon’s dance steps as if reciting the periodic table. Asked if he knows the ‘Dream Shake,’ Stoudemire said: ‘As Hakeem will tell you, there’s more than one move that consists of the Shake. To be honest with you, there’s about four or five moves. The shake is the fifth move to that because there’s so many counters. The Shake comes on the fourth or fifth move.’ Stoudemire didn’t know a single move before the summer. He blames it on being attached to former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball game. ‘I’m a player who adapted to the system I played in,’ Stoudemire said. ‘I’ve been under D’Antoni for seven, eight years. Post-up wasn’t a factor for us. We were such a high-octane, up-tempo team where speed and quickness was to our advantage. I’m now allowed to develop a post game where my speed and quickness will still be used to my advantage but add a lot of [post] skill.'”