The results are in, Amare

[Fo-Real]

You want to talk hindsight... if the Suns had drafted right, last year when we went to the west finals, Amare would have been paired with JaVale McGee, instead of Slowpez...... We had the option of JaVale or Robin and chose sideshow. What would Amare and Javale had done against the league together.... and would have Amare have stayed, or the front office have been more motivated to sign Amare with a young star in the making as his front court mate..... RIDDLE ME THAT!!!!!!

[rsavaj]

Accepting substantially less guaranteed money to remain in Phoenix would have constituted bad business on Stoudemire's part. Conversely, refusing to fully guarantee his salaries for more than three years represented fiscal prudence by the Suns. Running the risk of another Anfernee Hardaway debacle wasn't necessarily worthwhile for a club that still seemed to lack a championship formula.

Even with Stoudemire back, Phoenix probably wouldn't have been the same team without Barbosa and Amundson and given the regression of Dragic and Lopez. Last season, the Suns went 32-12 (.727, a 60-win pace) with Barbosa and 22-16 (.579, a 47-win pace) without him.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barbole01/splits/2010/

The point is that the differences between last year's team and this year's extend so far beyond Stoudemire that pinpointing his value proves difficult. One of the greatest strengths of the 2010 club was its bench and that second-unit fundamentally changed for the worse after the departures of Barbosa and Amundson.

With Stoudemire still in tow, the Suns may have been less likely to break-up their starting lineup and consummate that Orlando trade. We'll never know for sure, but I'm glad that Phoenix could acquire Gortat: he gives the franchise its best defense-and-rebounding center since perhaps John "Hot Rod" Williams in the later 1990s and he's not bad offensively.

Holy wow, GMAT! Is that you? I'm Abe Froeman . Good to have you around man...you're one of the best posters I've ever gotten to discuss stuff with. I left the ESPN boards because the quality of the conversation went down, and regulars such as yourself didn't seem to be posting as much.

[JasonDaPsycho]

The season ended the in the exact fashion I predicted. Amar'e still putting up numbers but the Knicks still sucking.

[JohnVancouver]

I'm Abe Froeman .

Huh? I thought you were Indian, rsavaj? Noi offense meant - an Indian could easily be named Abe Froeman ... not allowed to wear the outfits and turban, though, I shouldn't think

[rsavaj]

I'm Abe Froeman .

Huh? I thought you were Indian, rsavaj? Noi offense meant - an Indian could easily be named Abe Froeman ... not allowed to wear the outfits and turban, though, I shouldn't think

Haha abefroeman was my username on the ESPN boards, not my real name

[GMATCallahan]

Accepting substantially less guaranteed money to remain in Phoenix would have constituted bad business on Stoudemire's part. Conversely, refusing to fully guarantee his salaries for more than three years represented fiscal prudence by the Suns. Running the risk of another Anfernee Hardaway debacle wasn't necessarily worthwhile for a club that still seemed to lack a championship formula.

Even with Stoudemire back, Phoenix probably wouldn't have been the same team without Barbosa and Amundson and given the regression of Dragic and Lopez. Last season, the Suns went 32-12 (.727, a 60-win pace) with Barbosa and 22-16 (.579, a 47-win pace) without him.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/barbole01/splits/2010/

The point is that the differences between last year's team and this year's extend so far beyond Stoudemire that pinpointing his value proves difficult. One of the greatest strengths of the 2010 club was its bench and that second-unit fundamentally changed for the worse after the departures of Barbosa and Amundson.

With Stoudemire still in tow, the Suns may have been less likely to break-up their starting lineup and consummate that Orlando trade. We'll never know for sure, but I'm glad that Phoenix could acquire Gortat: he gives the franchise its best defense-and-rebounding center since perhaps John "Hot Rod" Williams in the later 1990s and he's not bad offensively.

Holy wow, GMAT! Is that you? I'm Abe Froeman . Good to have you around man...you're one of the best posters I've ever gotten to discuss stuff with. I left the ESPN boards because the quality of the conversation went down, and regulars such as yourself didn't seem to be posting as much.

Abe, thanks and good to see you. I'll probably only be posting sporadically at first, but I hope to do so more down the road.

[GMATCallahan]

Short term, it probably hurt you guys, but long term, you guys made the right move for sure. He's already showing some signs of breaking down over here.

By the way, Stoudemire has scored 19 points in the first half tonight against the Nets, but Hubie Brown was rightly dogging him for consistently failing to box-out and committing daft, lazy fouls.

The bottom-line is that Stoudemire is not really a championship-caliber big man. That comment doesn't mean that a team could never win a championship with Stoudemire; obviously, the Suns came fairly close a few times. But he's basically "a house made of sand," someone who undermines his attractive scoring numbers in ways that often doesn't show-up in the box score. He has still helped the Knicks, but the recipe for ultimate success isn't there.

[NYK 455]

Short term, it probably hurt you guys, but long term, you guys made the right move for sure. He's already showing some signs of breaking down over here.

By the way, Stoudemire has scored 19 points in the first half tonight against the Nets, but Hubie Brown was rightly dogging him for consistently failing to box-out and committing daft, lazy fouls.

The bottom-line is that Stoudemire is not really a championship-caliber big man. That comment doesn't mean that a team could never win a championship with Stoudemire; obviously, the Suns came fairly close a few times. But he's basically "a house made of sand," someone who undermines his attractive scoring numbers in ways that often doesn't show-up in the box score. He has still helped the Knicks, but the recipe for ultimate success isn't there.

I agree, Amar'e has been overrated. Truth be told, we were winning when Ray Felton was playing out of his freaking mind. Once he came back to Earth, we did. And we've been sub .500 once we traded everyone for Carmelo.

[GMATCallahan]

Short term, it probably hurt you guys, but long term, you guys made the right move for sure. He's already showing some signs of breaking down over here.

By the way, Stoudemire has scored 19 points in the first half tonight against the Nets, but Hubie Brown was rightly dogging him for consistently failing to box-out and committing daft, lazy fouls.

The bottom-line is that Stoudemire is not really a championship-caliber big man. That comment doesn't mean that a team could never win a championship with Stoudemire; obviously, the Suns came fairly close a few times. But he's basically "a house made of sand," someone who undermines his attractive scoring numbers in ways that often doesn't show-up in the box score. He has still helped the Knicks, but the recipe for ultimate success isn't there.

I agree, Amar'e has been overrated. Truth be told, we were winning when Ray Felton was playing out of his freaking mind. Once he came back to Earth, we did. And we've been sub .500 once we traded everyone for Carmelo.

On Sunday night's Dallas-Phoenix telecast on ESPN, Jon Barry opined that Stoudemire unquestionably constituted the NBA's early-season MVP, but all along, I felt that Raymond Felton proved similarly valuable to that team. As you indicated, Stoudemire will only take a club as far as its point guard (or some other major player) takes it.

[mybloodisorange]

Wouldnt it be the ultimate irony if Carmelo and Stoudamire simply cannot mesh forcing New York to deal one of them? Then Amare gets traded to Phoenix for Nash, Lopez and Warrik haha.

I know this would never happen but they would probably rather give us Melo so Stat and Nash can reunite under D'Antoni.

Brooks/Dowdell
Dudley/Peaches
Anthony/Jchill
Frye/draftpick or FA
Gortat/Siler

Just musing but I thought it was interesting :p

[King4Day]

Even if we did the Hedo deal (and I do still think we'd have done it), I just don't see us making the deal for Gortat. We would have been much better to start the year and not had a reason to make the trade.

[Fat Kat]

The Knicks hadn't been to the playoffs in years. They are probably now a perennial playoff team. The Suns were a playoff team. They now are not a playoff team. We'll see how both team progress going forward. Enjoy the post season gents.

[aIvin adams]

.... he wouldn't even tip the server....

Its an Amare thing

He was a jackass.

actually... my friend used to be a waitress at Axis Radius. and she told me that Amare would never pay his bill and would just assumed it was free because of who he was.

so, it's true. he is a jackass.

your friend is an easy hooker