I have not watched the Suns as religiously as I did when I lived in Phoenix. Being in California I am only able to see Suns games that are nationally televised or played against the LA teams. I have long been an admirer of STAT's athleticism and strength. I am also convinced that the recent addition of a jump shot makes him a truly dangerous offensive threat. That said, I was really pissed off with his recent complaints.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=smith_stephen&page=Stoudemire-081128
In the article by the ridiculous Steven A., Amare says that he should be a featured player and an NBA star. Last night during the Suns/Hornets game, he got the opportunity to have the spotlight and the ball all to himself. I couldn't help but see some parallels between his situation last night and Joe Johnson's similar complaints and migration to Atlanta. Both guys wanted to be NBA stars, both were playing on teams without any other big names and the results: loses.
I would go as far as to say that Joe Johnson has more of a claim to superstardom than Amare and I base this on one well cited criticism of STATs game; Amare does not play any defense. Not only does he ignore this end of the floor but his spacing and awareness are laughable. Last night he was abused by Tyson Chandler on the boards. He continually found himself out of position and watching Chandler dunk the ball on a put back.
I realize that the Hornets own the Suns but I would honestly rather have Robin Lopez on defense than Amare. Until Amare commits to playing D and playing intelligently he will never be an NBA star. I know this is saying nothing new but I really focused on him last night and it was painfully obvious that the man never learned to play the game.
Am I totally off base here...?
A little off base, mostly because he has a tattoo that say Black Jesus on his neck. Thats right, on his NECK!
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