Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am  |  83 responses

The Amar’e Decision

by Marcel Mutoni

Amar’e Stoudemire is having a lot of fun with the speculation around his future as an NBA player. His agent, though, is taking a more serious approach to matters. STAT’s rep wants to know whether or not the Phoenix Suns are ready to ink his client to a long-term deal.

From the Arizona Republic:

Stoudemire’s agent, Charles Grantham, said he would like to hear a commitment from one team in particular – the Suns. “Either he’s in or out,” Grantham said Sunday while in Phoenix. “You’re going to have to really make a commitment to him that he’s part of your program going forward and that you’re going to work around him. Those decisions seemingly are still up in the air. They are going to have to be made at some point. You’ll have to talk about either committing to him or trading him.”

The commitment Stoudemire is seeking from the Suns is more than just being told he won’t be traded. He wants a contract extension when he is eligible later this summer. Grantham considers Stoudemire a maximum-salary player worth an extension averaging more than $20 million per season.

After next season, in the now-infamous summer of 2010, Amar’e can become an unrestricted free agent.

Phoenix is clearly in cost-saving mode these days, so that max deal Stoudemire’s agent is demanding might be out of reach — especially when one considers STAT’s injuries, and shortcomings on defense.

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  • davidR Posted: Jun.29 at 9:04 am
    jeez, $20 mil a season

  • Hisham Posted: Jun.29 at 9:04 am
    He looks like the next blind soul singing star in that picture. Amaray Charles

  • eugene Posted: Jun.29 at 9:05 am
    first

  • Hisham Posted: Jun.29 at 9:05 am
    STATtie Wonder

  • jumpman3224 Posted: Jun.29 at 9:06 am
    If a non-playoff team lands Amar’e and he stays healthy they automatically are making it to the field of 16. I don’t know if GS has the trade bait without parting with Curry, but I guarantee some team out there is willing to give up a couple young(er) pieces or expiring contracts to get the services of one of the elite players in the game.

  • Mo Charlo Posted: Jun.29 at 9:09 am
    Trade Shaq for him!

  • Moose Posted: Jun.29 at 9:10 am
    He’d be perfect for GSW or NYK.

  • jumpman3224 Posted: Jun.29 at 9:10 am
    Didnt he average 40+ in the only two games he played under Gentry? I know they were against the Clip-show…but still I think in the right situation he could re-claim his rightful position as All-NBA first team.

  • otv78 Posted: Jun.29 at 9:18 am
    Nate & D Lee for Stat, make it happen Donie.

  • rav Posted: Jun.29 at 9:29 am
    $20m a year for amare – LOL!!! does he think he’s on lebron and kobe’s level???

  • Jeff Fox Posted: Jun.29 at 9:41 am
    Get me at least 10 boards a game and prove you can guard the top power forward/centers in the League and I’ll gladly give you a max deal.

  • Young Chris MP3 Posted: Jun.29 at 9:47 am
    Didn’t they trade him on draft night?

  • Z Posted: Jun.29 at 9:53 am
    co-sign Jeff Fox. A superstar big has to get you 10 boards a game. I’m not sure he has ever done that. The agent left out option c). They could just let it ride out. Amar’e has a player’s option for 2010-2011 so technically he still has two more years to his contract, if he wants to.

  • Chris Rackley Posted: Jun.29 at 9:53 am
    $20 million a year is worth it for sure . . . . . . if he was injury-free. But Stoudemire is coming dangerously close to being labeled “injury-plagued.” That calls a “long-term” extension alone into question . . . not even talking about the cash. I’m afraid he’s going to need one more killer year to prove himself first.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.29 at 10:08 am
    FREE STEVE NASH

  • Hisham Posted: Jun.29 at 10:13 am
    “Free Steve Nash” the new single by AmaRay “STATTIE WONDER” Stoudemire

  • Sparker Posted: Jun.29 at 10:14 am
    something’s up here. the agent is making noise to attract attention/ stir things up, maybe because the golden state deal fell through and he needs to get the word out that amare is still valuable. i wonder if amare is becoming a player that teams don’t want in spite of how good he is. he’s always been a bit of a headcase and that gets old unless you really perform

  • Bryan Posted: Jun.29 at 10:14 am
    Nash really does deserve better than this.

  • Responsible GM Posted: Jun.29 at 10:34 am
    The Suns shouldn’t give him $20mil per year. Especially not for a 4 or 5 or 6 year deal. No other team will give him more than $15mil per year over 4 years. This would be nonsense.
    Does he even want to be there? He’d ask for a trade in February anyway.

  • niQ Posted: Jun.29 at 10:52 am
    time for nash to join boston.

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Jun.29 at 11:00 am
    nash is getting exactly what he deserves. he had some really good years with dirk in dallas, some overhyped years in phx, with a couple bogus mvps. jason kidd deserves better than dallas. would anyone really say nash was a better player than kidd??? the only area where steve has an advantage is shooting. but look what kidd has done from 3 the past couple years, and look at the all time 3pt list.

  • Fat Lever Posted: Jun.29 at 11:03 am
    STAT = Superstar Talent At Times

  • Fat Lever Posted: Jun.29 at 11:03 am
    And those times occur when it’s payday.

  • Fat Lever Posted: Jun.29 at 11:06 am
    And those times occur when its time to CTC…

  • Fat Lever Posted: Jun.29 at 11:06 am
    Sorry for the double post, didn’t see my 2nd comment, so re-posted.

  • Mansonovic Posted: Jun.29 at 11:16 am
    Nash is getting what he deserves? What the…? Is he a big mouth? No, he’s not. Is he a thug? No, he’s not. Kidd may deserve better than he currently has, but hating on Nash for having a few good seasons, where he took advantage of a system of play, is hardly the greatest basketball crime ever committed.

  • rikson Posted: Jun.29 at 11:22 am
    Tarzan Nashs big advantage is the pick and roll! Kidd is more of a traditional point guard, you know: A sure ball handler that will run the offense! While Nash is able to make the “killer”-pass any time – even without a pick… Kidd is a better defender tough!

  • Exile Posted: Jun.29 at 11:23 am
    NOT a max level player.

  • rikson Posted: Jun.29 at 11:23 am
    Plus: IMO nash is waaayyy more fast break!!!

  • Tommy Patron Posted: Jun.29 at 11:24 am
    This guy is a clown.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 12:39 pm
    Amare to the Raptors for Chris Bosh. Make it happen Brian!

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 12:50 pm
    Amare to the Knicks would be great too, as long as he can feel comfortable being the #2 guy when LeBron comes.

  • Anton Posted: Jun.29 at 12:54 pm
    lol @ Fat Lever

  • doyouwantmore Posted: Jun.29 at 12:55 pm
    If Amare goes to the Raptors I am giving up my Canadian citizenship.

  • Darksaber Posted: Jun.29 at 12:56 pm
    Add another element to your offensive game, a back-to-the-basket element. And take Dwight with you too.

  • buck muckman Posted: Jun.29 at 1:29 pm
    amare to the UTAH jazz, he’ll be up for that right?

  • Chendaddy Posted: Jun.29 at 1:41 pm
    What do the Suns care anyway? Do you see this trade?? Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli/Kelenna Azubuike, and Stephen Curry just for Stoudemire? Sign and trade in a heartbeat! The Suns are rebuilding, and that is an amazing core of players. The Warriors are fools to assume Stoudemire can be a game-changer like Garnett, because Stoudemire’s not coming in with the leadership qualities and veteran support to change the culture of a franchise. But again, what do the Suns care?

  • tavoris Posted: Jun.29 at 2:04 pm
    the only players worthy of Max deals are for 1)players who fans come out in droves to see, or 2) Players who make their teams phenomenally better than the sum of its parts. Amare does neither. STAT is a great player offensively, but does he really do anything that helps his team win? Does Phoenix need his offense THAT much?

  • K Posted: Jun.29 at 2:04 pm
    Exactly Chendaddy. It would take me all of one minute to agree to that deal if I’m the Suns.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 2:39 pm
    @ tavoris: You look at last season and you tell me.

  • RV Posted: Jun.29 at 2:41 pm
    Yao’s out for the year!…dammit..

  • Z Posted: Jun.29 at 2:41 pm
    No way Colangelo does Bosh for STAT straight up. Chris Bosh is a much better rebounder and shooter. He also has better offensive and defensive awareness. Only thing STAT has on him really is leaping ability.

  • Laumol Posted: Jun.29 at 3:45 pm
    I read in Jack McCallum’s book on The Suns (7 seconds or less) that Stoudamire has a terrible work ethic. I guess Kerr isn’t prepared paying big bucks for a player who slacks.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 4:24 pm
    @ RV: Its not certain yet. I really actually think Yao can come back from this injury a lot sooner than people think.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 4:26 pm
    @ Z: Yeah, but the thing is, both players want to leave their respective teams. This would be a decent trade for both parties involved, and would give Toronto an exciting player to watch. Trust me, the Raptors need more exciting players, especially since they aren’t exactly contenders like the Spurs.

  • JESSEG Posted: Jun.29 at 4:48 pm
    I don’t get why people say Amare wants to leave Phoenix. He has said all along he would want to stay, but the Suns have been jerking him around like they were Marion. The Suns won’t sign anyone better than Amare in the 2010 free agent summer so I think they would be making a huge mistake not keeping him. People are really selling Amare short. He is a beast. Wasn’t it just a few years ago he was up there in MVP talk? He has never had a team based to his strengths. It’s either been based around Nash or based around Shaq. I really believe he would excel if the Suns tried putting the right players around AMARE for once.

  • rav Posted: Jun.29 at 5:06 pm
    phoenix suns = the new LA Clippers

  • Hersey Posted: Jun.29 at 5:15 pm
    The Suns have been exposed as a team that doesn’t want to win. It’s disappointing to Suns fans like myself but they have a player that wants to walk because they aren’t committed to building/keeping a winning team. So now they’re dangling him to get rid of his salary. It’s funny everyone praises the Nonics and the Blazers for being smart with the draft and trades but when they start winning it’ll be time to pay all those young players. If your fanbase supports you when you’re cheap losers, you can be an expensive winner. The Suns drafted Marion and Amare, made smart trades for JJ, LB and signed Nash and Q and setup themselves up for the a good run only to have undo it by not being smart with money. Now they’re losing their fanbase as they blew it and now want to blow it up. So to agree with other comments- FREE STEVE NASH

  • B-Moore Posted: Jun.29 at 5:46 pm
    LOL!!! Amaray charles

  • wayno Posted: Jun.29 at 5:57 pm
    So Charlie Villanueva is a UFA now…who’s gonna sign him?

  • The Promise Posted: Jun.29 at 6:01 pm
    Co-sign Hersey. Phoenix is really messing up if they let him go, cause I personally think he is a top 10 player in the league, whether he rebounds consistently or not. When he puts in the effort, he is a consistent 20 and 10 player. You do not find that much in the NBA anymore. Its a bunch of kids that want to score 40 points a game and not play D and rebound. But Amar’e has the full game, and he deserves top pay. If the Suns will not pay him, another team will. Dont worry about that.

  • Rusty Posted: Jun.29 at 6:05 pm
    Lets be fair to Amare, he is probably close to a max level talent, but he only has a minimum level heart. I wouldnt be happy for my team paying this guy anything more the 13 mil

  • Tommy Patron Posted: Jun.29 at 6:41 pm
    What types of players would be the right ones to surround Amare with that would make the Suns a contender?

  • Michael NZ Posted: Jun.29 at 6:54 pm
    Lol@$20 mil. Please. Can’t board, can’t D up. Goodbye.

  • MikeF Posted: Jun.29 at 6:54 pm
    1-Nash
    2-Bryant
    3-James
    4-STAT
    5-D. Howard That would probably be enough to get it done.

  • Airswade Posted: Jun.29 at 8:32 pm
    @ Tarzan. Are you mental? Nash’s MVP’s were far from bogus, the only thing that’s bogus is that he didn’t win three sraight, Dirk winning it ahead of him, now that WAS bogus. If I had to pick a team my pg would be Nash over J.Kidd all day long. Don’t get me wrong J.Kidd is great, but why you hatin’ on Nash?

  • dma Posted: Jun.29 at 10:12 pm
    exile amare to canada and get it over with already.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.29 at 10:46 pm
    ^ Dude are you stupid? Toronto is one of the best cities that has an NBA team. Ignorance is bliss to you, I guess. Maybe you’d prefer the likes of Utah? That would suit you.

  • mouse Posted: Jun.30 at 12:35 am
    ^^at least utah has deron williams

  • JESSEG Posted: Jun.30 at 12:41 am
    Amare is a top 10 player in the league. The NBA is becoming too salary conscience (just like the NFL). There is no way you get equal value in a trade for Amare; all you can do is put a team together just to host 41 games a season. In the end you still dont end up with a superstar in free agency next year. You never win by getting rid of your best players. If teams are worried about paying a guy too much then they should commit themselves to losing and watch their fan base drop in this bad economy. Just tell the fans you are looking to win in 3 yrs and see what happens. With the Suns roster if they could pick up Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby to compliment Amare and Nash i see no reason why they couldn’t contend next year.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.30 at 1:08 am
    Airswade: Tarzan takes any chance he can get to bash Nash. He’s like Eboy on Kobe or Teddy on Rubio: just mindless hate, man. Don’t even respond.
    FREE STEVE NASH!

  • nate the great Posted: Jun.30 at 3:44 am
    nash is my boy. and i agree. dirk winning while nash was runner up was hella bogus.
    if rondo isnt getting max contract, than hell nah amare is.
    im sorry. rondo grabs more boards than amare.
    ship his @ss somewhere else, i dont want him on this phionex team.
    grab biadres, and chandler.
    trade ben wallace for chandler, and get beidres, wright, and curry.
    nash
    richardson/curry
    hill/barns
    wright
    chandler/biedras
    playoffs.

  • flash Posted: Jun.30 at 4:22 am
    Stat for beasley,blount,moon make it happen!

  • Billy Posted: Jun.30 at 4:48 am
    STAT to Houston for Yao Ming then we will be talking about finishing the season in the top 4 of Western Conference… might as well win the world CHAMP… Yao is just a pain in the @ss…

  • melo15rush Posted: Jun.30 at 5:14 am
    statz gnna make $20 million wid da phoenix sunz??????
    fokin bullsit!!!!

  • Slobodan Chutzpah Posted: Jun.30 at 6:30 am
    Okay, riddle me this: why isn’t Kerr being called out as a horrible GM to rival the Wallaces of this world. He dismantled a great winning team, and all his moves so far have been complete busts. Now he’s shopping his second-best player for a bag of peanuts. I don’t get it why he isn’t getting crucified in the press. Must be that he was such a well-liked guy during his playing and announcing days.

  • Slobodan Chutzpah Posted: Jun.30 at 6:33 am
    Oops, meant *I don’t get why he isn’t…* Forgot one question mark as well. Oh dear, oh my.

  • davidR Posted: Jun.30 at 7:22 am
    it’s funny – a lot of these ex warriors getting sent to other teams are solid contributors for their new teams or will be pieces to form solid cores. well everyone except foyle and baron. we believe..

  • rav Posted: Jun.30 at 10:12 am
    why isnt kerr being called out as a horrible GM… probably because everyone knows that he’s not the one who is behind the deals and its sarver who wants to cut costs (e.g. selling draft picks of rondo/deng/fernandez)

  • Dagga Posted: Jun.30 at 11:45 am
    @ Tarzan. Are you mental? Nash’s MVP’s were far from bogus, the only thing that’s bogus is that he didn’t win three sraight AIRSWADE ARE YOU MENTAL or do you not watch and understand basketball kidd orchestrates everything his team does nash passes or shoots he is and never was on kidd’s level the mvps were bogus and forthe record nowitzki and kidd was more successful than nash and nowitzki check the stats nash was good cause of mike d what ever has he done without him kidd however singlehandedly led his team to the finals

  • Wonderwomen Posted: Jun.30 at 1:37 pm
    hmmm.. how about Amare to the BULLS…

  • JESSEG Posted: Jun.30 at 4:11 pm
    Dagga- Kidd led his team to the finals in the EAST.With that team they would have been out in the second round in the West. Nash’s suns teams were way better than kidd’s nets teams IMO. The Suns were just held back by one domninant team in that era….The Spurs. Just like many people didn’t win cause Michael Jordan in his era.

  • Exile Posted: Jun.30 at 5:13 pm
    FREE Amare… From people wanting him to be a Raptor. This is from a Raptor’s fan… so no backlash from TO.

  • SeanJaye Posted: Jun.30 at 5:30 pm
    Amare to ATL

  • Allenp Posted: Jun.30 at 6:10 pm
    Kidd one in the East, but he won with inferior talent. Nash lost in the West, but he lost with far superior talent.
    Remember, the Suns once started Nash, Joe Johnson, Amare, Marion and Q. That’s better than any team Jason Kidd has ever, EVER played with. Granted, Joe Johnson got injured in the playoffs, but still.

  • Dacre Posted: Jun.30 at 7:05 pm
    Steve Kerr needs to get on out.
    BEST CASE SCENARIO:
    Amare comes back, completely injury free and dominates averaging 28, 10, 2 and 2.
    The Suns heal Ben Wallaces’ body back to his Detroit finals days and he becomes the quick, highly effective starting C the run and gun suns sorely need.
    Nash stays all “nashy-like”.
    That Earl kid that was drafted, starts from the get go and becomes G Hills Protege`, if not a poor mans Marion (albeit a LOT more happier).
    Leandro gets his 17ppg back.
    There is only one reason why this suns team could not get 55 wins next season. Other teams are going to be better.

  • Dacre Posted: Jun.30 at 7:12 pm
    I am interested to see how Nash handles this off season. I think if he can be a steady head for Amare and the players in general they could still compete. An Amare/Nash/Barbosa trio just needs some quick defensive minded types that like to score easy baskets (Louis, Barnes, Ben Wallace anyone?).
    Let me biased, but perhaps realistic….
    I can still see this ball club winning games and being in the mix.

  • BostonBaller Posted: Jun.30 at 9:37 pm
    I like Amare’s game but he is limited. He benefited from the PHX system just as much as Nash & what’s his name that left a year ago…what is his name seriously…I don’t think he is a max player whom you can build around solely.

  • Waylonakolipse Posted: Jul.1 at 8:40 am
    No Amare to GSW…They were asking for Biedrins, Belinelli, Curry, and Randolph! It’s a good thing the Warriors walked because Randolph will most likely develope into a more complete player than Amare and curry would be dope with Ellis…what the Warriors really need is a Battier type player.

  • Cmac Posted: Jul.1 at 10:12 am
    man we he came into the league he was plain nasty. just wish he coulda developed defensivly

  • nbk Posted: Jul.1 at 2:17 pm
    i am personally happy amar’e will not be a phoenix sun.. he is one of those guys you love until he is on the team you watch every night then the little things add up

  • DG Posted: Jul.2 at 1:59 am
    can we get the kid a glass eye or somethin before we just toss him 20 mill per?

  • Robb Posted: Jul.2 at 9:19 pm
    lol@Amaray Charles

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