Knicks News: Training with Hakeem Olajuwon Won't Matter for Amar'e Stoudemire

As the New York Knicks await the start of the 2012-13 NBA season with hopes high and expectations through the roof, there is seemingly no player more committed to the cause than star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire.

After a lost season in 2011-12 where Stoudemire's 17.1 points per game were his lowest since his rookie season and his 7.8 nightly rebounding average was the lowest of his career, the 29-year-old has vowed to come back next season "stronger than ever" (via ESPN New York).

According to an interview with the New York Post's Zach Braziller, Stoudemire's improvement plan starts by working on his post game with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon:

"

There’s so many moves that I picked up from Hakeem. Just developing my post [game] has been phenomenal for me. When I came out of high school, I was thrown the ball and [told] do what you do best. I never got a chance to develop my game as far as [in the] post. Working with Hakeem is gonna be a great advantage for me.

"

For Knicks fans everywhere, that news should bring a wide smile.

Olajuwon is renowned as one of the best post players in NBA history, and while 29 years old is a little late to suddenly become interested in the post, it's at least a sign of commitment from Stoudemire.

Unfortunately, it's not going to help as much as you'd think.

In recent years Olajuwon has become the go-to guru for anyone looking to improve their post game. A cavalcade of players, including stars LeBron James and Dwight Howard, have gone to The Dream looking for help.

And while all players have walked away at least slightly better, the results have been understandably mixed. Olajuwon cannot work with a player for a (very) limited amount of time and just instantly whip Dream Shake into an offensive repertoire. No coach can.

It's about taking those teachings and committing to them in the gym full-time. Work ethic has never exactly been Stoudemire's forte. 

But even if the light has finally come on in Stoudemire's head as he approaches 30, Olajuwon's help with his post moves won't fix the power forward's most glaring deficiency: defense. 

While most pundits out there rightly rip on Stoudemire's defensive commitment (mostly ghastly), it's apparent to the naked eye that he has a bigger problem with simply knowing how to defend, period.

More often than not, he chooses the wrong shoulder to press in the post, hedges when he should switch and takes unnecessary risks. That's not a commitment issue, but one of being completely uncoached on defensive technique.

In the Post interview, Stoudemire says all the right things about coach Mike Woodson's schemes and being individually "dedicated [to] also, to becom[ing] a much, much better defensive player.”

But that's an empty promise that we've heard before from the 6'10" forward.

In a 2010 interview with Frank Isola of the Post, Stoudemire said, "When trying to win ball games, defense is what does it. Getting stops, getting rebounds...it's imperative for me to bring that defensive intensity."

To say that hasn't come to fruition yet is an understatement. 

So unless Olajuwon is teaching Stoudemire how to properly defend along with those post moves, the differences he'll make in the power forward are minuscule at best. 

It's a nice story and will do some necessary reputation boosting after the whole fire extinguisher fiasco. 

Just don't expect Stoudemire to come back in 2012-13 as a different player.