The Microscope: The Exceedingly Simple Struggles of Amar'e Stoudemire (and More)

The Microscope is your recurring look at the NBA's small-scale developments—the rotational curiosities, skill showcases, coaching decisions, notable performances and changes in approach that make the league go 'round.

Amar'e Stoudemire highlights the Knicks' failures in contrast. The New York Knicks have—shockingly—been engulfed in hype and controversy for the better part of the season. Those constantly shifting spotlights did a splendid job of shifting attention away from the Knicks' most peculiar early-season problem: Amar'e Stoudemire was—and is, statistically speaking—having the worst season of his basketball career.

Considering that Mike D'Antoni had ample experience with Stoudemire and was intimately familiar with his skill set from their time together in Phoenix, Amar'e's early-season struggles were downright perplexing. The struggles of the Knicks' playmakers undoubtedly facilitated Stoudemire's decline, but there's still something to be said about how horrid the one-time New York savior looked in isolation—an area where he had once thrived. In light of Stoudemire's struggles across the board, could point guard play really be the dominant factor in his decline?

Apparently so. Stoudemire's field goal percentage hit a career rock-bottom in January and, as expected, jumped considerably upon Jeremy Lin's assumption of the Knicks' full-time shot-creating responsibilities.

With Lin on the floor, Stoudemire is shooting a perfectly respectable 50 percent from the field—a mark well short of his Phoenix Suns glory days, but still perfectly in line with life-after-Steve-Nash expectations. Carmelo Anthony's puzzling integration is an ongoing experiment and the restoration of the Knicks' defense is a project in progress, but Stoudemire's struggles really were as simple as advertised. If you get the man an even remotely competent playmaker (much less one of Lin's caliber), then the efficient scoring will come.

Keith Smart and DeMarcus Cousins, off on the right foot.

Video hat-tip to James Herbert.

This clip is wonderful for a variety of reasons, but front and center should be the growing relationship between DeMarcus Cousins and interim head coach Keith Smart. Cousins deserves some of what his reputation suggests, but hardly all; his "problem child" tag has fueled his flawed perception, and it's to Smart's credit that he's seen through the expectation and embraced Cousins through player-specific coaching. 

As much as a team is an organism in itself, each component does require some degree of specialized treatment and attention in order to grow to its fullest. Players respond differently to various approaches and motivations, and it's to Smart's credit that he seems to have developed a rather immediate (and specific) rapport with some of the Sacramento Kings' brightest young stars. This kind of playfulness makes for great YouTube fodder, but it also speaks to the level of trust between player and coach—the kind of adult relationship found between young players and mentors in professional sports, in which true collaboration is made possible despite a maze of authority and power dynamics.

Luis Scola, risen from the ashes of mediocrity. The Houston Rockets—who bested the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night with an astounding fourth-quarter flurry—are currently the Western Conference's eighth seed despite the fact that Kevin Martin has spent a good chunk of the year either out of sorts or out of the lineup, and that Luis Scola appears to have stumbled off of a cliff. 

Scola is playing slightly better of late, but one can't help but wonder if his latest successes—including his 23-point effort against Pau Gasol and the Lakers—are but a cruel callback to what used to be. Scola was once a highly efficient post player and a surprisingly sturdy offensive anchor; but this season, his efficiency has plummeted to league-average levels, his shooting has dipped, his rebounding has been slashed, and his turnovers have skyrocketed. The pairing of new Rockets head coach Kevin McHale and the exceptionally clever Scola seemed poised to be the most exciting development in Houston this season, but apparently it was never meant to be.

There's no satisfaction to be gained from declaring a player as over the hill, but the fact that Scola is nearly 32 seems the most rational explanation—and perhaps the only rational explanation—for such a startling regression.