After a season that was not exactly what he desired — or what New York Knicks fans demanded — forward Amare Stoudemire is showing he wants to make a better impression next year.
The big man with explosive skills has hired Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon to teach him how to be a more effective player in the low post, according to Yahoo! Sports. The rate for the two weeks of lessons: $100,000.
Olajuwon — nicknamed “The Dream” when he won back-to-back NBA titles and Finals MVPs in 1994 and ’95 — is recognized as perhaps the most creative player in the the low blocks in league history. He humiliated fellow Hall of Fame center David Robinson in the 1994 playoff on a dizzying array of up-and-under fakes, spins and intricate maneuvers. And he was similarly — but not as dominant — effective against Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in ’94 and Shaquille O’Neal in ’95.
He had a patented move on the baseline, dubbed the “Dream Shake,” where Olajuwon, with his back to the basket, would issue a series of shoulder fakes before exploding toward the basket around the lost defender
Stoudemire plans to spend two weeks with Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston next month. He is paying $50,000 a week, according to the website. Olajuwon has tutored other NBA players on the fine art of low-post offense, including Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat’s LeBron James.
For his money, Stoudemire says he plans to memorize every lesson so he can expand his game to include one or two go-to moves on the post. If he does — and if he stays healthy and avoids busting up his hand on fire extinguisher glass cases — Stoudemire has a chance to emerge to the upper echelon level of players.
In a sense, he could be come a shorter version of Olajuwon, who, while effective in the paint, fashioned a reliable face-up jump shot from the 15-foot range. Stoudemire already has that in his game. And around the basket, he finishes with powerful dunks.
But with his back to the basket, he has been less than average, which is where Olajuwon’s expertise comes in.
