NY Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire and 4 Others Who Will Take a Step Backwards in 2011

With the lockout still dreadfully ongoing, discussing subjects in the NBA can easily seem redundant. Still, it’s better to at least talk about something rather than simply sitting back in complete fear or anger that the 2011-2012 season will be lost.

As each season passes to the next, there are always players who improve.

Of course, there are also players who digress. Some have major drop-offs in production, while others might be of minimal to moderate proportions.

Taking a step back is never anything a player wants to endure, no matter what the underlying cause is. Unfortunately, it’s a part of the game, so they’ll just have to accept it, do their best to correct it and move on—unless, of course, they elect to transform into robots.

Assuming the upcoming NBA season isn’t lost, here are five players on the New York Knicks I believe will take a step backwards in 2011-2012.

Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups will be 35 years old at the scheduled start of next season. The 2004 NBA Finals MVP is still a solid point guard, but he’s a couple seasons removed from vintage form.

Billups’ biggest weakness is on the defensive side of the ball. He has a hard time guarding opponents—especially quicker point guards—and doesn’t always put forth the best effort. Last season, his team prevented opponents from scoring more effectively when he was off the court.

Mr. Big Shot is coming off his 14^th season, which was ended by injury in Game 1 of the Knicks’ playoff series against the Boston Celtics. His body has logged a lot of minutes in both the regular and postseason. While I still believe Billups will play well in 2011-2012, it’s hard to imagine the wear and tear won’t weigh him down at all.

The fact Billups’ name could get brought up in countless trade rumors probably won’t help either. Billups had a hard time leaving Denver—the place where he grew up—last season.

Trade speculation is a major part of the business that many players must deal with. Still, it’s not easy for most—especially for a 35-year-old with a family to take care of.

Ronny Turiaf

Suffering an injury before the season starts is never a good thing. So it’s probable Ronny Turiaf wasn’t too happy when he broke his left hand about a month ago while playing for France’s national team.

Turiaf is a high-energy player who is most relied upon by the Knicks for defensive energy and rebounding. I’m no doctor, but I imagine a broken hand would make altering/blocking shots and rebounding the ball more difficult.

Turiaf’s got somewhat of an injury-filled history. He’s played in 70 or more games just three times during his six seasons. Of course, he did return to the NBA six months after having open-heart surgery, so he is resilient.

2011-2012 is a contract year for the Gonzaga alum, which could mean the Knicks try using him as trade bait—an unwelcome distraction for most players. 

Landry Fields

The precocious neophyte had a solid rookie season in 2010-2011. He led all guards in rebounds and was one of the Knicks’ best defenders—although that isn’t really saying much. He also was oft regarded as the biggest steal in the 2010 NBA draft.

Unfortunately for Fields, his game declined when Carmelo Anthony came to town and helped infuse a shift in the team’s play style. No longer would the offense be nearly as free-flowing—the offensive style best suited for Fields’ versatility and skill set—instead featuring more stagnation and ball-stopping isolation. Fields’ confidence and scoring suffered as a result, especially during the playoffs.

If the 2011-2012 season isn’t cancelled, Fields could become more comfortable playing with Carmelo and return to playing at an effective level by his standards. Still, with Carmelo on the roster, don’t look for the offense to shift back into its form when Raymond Felton was running the point. As a result, Landry Fields will take a slight step back next season even if his comfort level playing alongside Carmelo improves.

Fields, similar to Billups and Turiaf, could also be constantly linked to trade rumors, which might be a distraction. The possible threat of rookie Iman Shumpert taking his starting shooting guard spot may also preoccupy him.

Shawne Williams

Before last season commenced, not many thought Shawne Williams would have an impactful role on the Knicks. The 2006 first-round draft pick out of the University of Memphis struggled during his first three seasons on the court, and he had a myriad of problems off the court.

Fortunately for Williams, the Knicks offered him a one-year contract last September, after the Dallas Mavericks released him in January of 2009. After playing a combined nine minutes in the team’s first two games last season, Williams carved out a spot in Mike D’Antoni’s rotation in game No. 3 by scoring 13 points on 5-7 shooting (3-4 from three-point range) and grabbing four rebounds in 21 minutes of action. He became a solid role-player who ended up shooting a smidgen over 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Williams was decent during last season’s playoffs. While he didn’t shoot much in the first two games, he did score 17 points on 6-10 shooting in Game 3. For what it’s worth, he was the Knicks’ best player in terms of team success with him on the floor last postseason.

Williams is currently a free-agent, but he has expressed his interest to re-sign with the Knicks. Assuming he’s back with New York after the lockout culminates, he could again provide them a three-point shooter to space the floor.

Of course, playing time might be harder to come by for Williams now that Mike Woodson has been hired as an assistant coach. Woodson was brought in to serve as a defensive coordinator for the Knicks, and he may lobby for less of Williams on the floor because of his defensive struggles. The former Memphis Tigers’ swingman has never been good at on-ball, weak-side or help defense. He’ll likely have to improve in that area if he doesn’t want to see his minutes slashed, especially with rookie Iman Shumpert’s 6’5” size that allows him to play small forward—Williams’ position. 

Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar’e Stoudemire had a monster season in 2010-2011. His first year as a New York Knick saw him help the franchise return to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. It also saw the nine-year veteran set a Knicks’ franchise record by scoring 30 points or more in nine consecutive games.

Unfortunately for the taller-half of the Knicks’ superstar duo, back problems have plagued him since Game 2 of the series against the Celtics. For a large portion of the summer, Stoudemire was couch ridden. While his back has since-improved, it’s reportedly still only at 90 percent, and there’s a slight chance he wouldn’t be ready to play by the scheduled start of next season.

I guess Stoudemire having a chance to rest his back would be the only positive—besides exciting exhibition games—about the ongoing lockout.

While Stoudemire probably has another 3-4 years playing at or near a superstar level, his injury problems could prevent him from getting back to where he was at last season. Now that Carmelo Anthony will be his teammate from season’s beginning, averaging at least 25.3 points per game for a second consecutive season seems a bit less achievable. If Stoudemire misses time, especially if it’s for an extended period, Carmelo could get too accustomed to being both option 1A and 1B on offense. Knick fans will have to hope Stoudemire keeps the injury bug away—something much easier said than done.