(Photo by Elsa/Getty)
My Fanster colleagues Greg Esposito and Matt Blake were discussing the upcoming Suns season with me this afternoon and naturally, the subject of Amare’s future came up.
Greg is legitimately concerned that Stoudemire will bolt once he’s able to exercise his player option in a couple of years. This is a worry I share with Greg, though not quite as much. When I asked Rick Welts about this very possibility at the fantasy camp I attended a few weeks ago, Mr. Welts was crystal clear with his answer.
Amare isn’t going anywhere.
Phoenix is his home, this is the only franchise he knows, he works hard in the community, he’s raising his family here…and the collective bargaining agreement gives the Suns the right to pay him more than any other team.
Taking Mr. Welts at his word and buying into Amare as a Sun for the foreseeable future, maybe even his entire career, is this the right choice for the Suns? Is Amare the future of the Suns and the largest building block for what’s ahead?
The answer, at least for me, is a resounding yes.
This is a player who has improved every year he’s been in the league and continues to work his tail off. Think back to his rookie year when the team struggled mightily. Amare could dunk on damn near anyone that got in his way, but that was all he could do. Stoudemire was talented, but extremely raw.
Look now at the player he is today. He has arguably the best mid-range jumper of any four in the league, and he’s even developed some ball-handling skills. Furthermore, he’s nearly unguardable, as he’s the most efficient player in the league. Last but not least, he’s proven to be a physical marvel, having successfully returned from microfracture surgery, better than ever.
Did I mention he’ll only be 26 years old in November?
The supposed character and family issues with Stoudemire have been nearly non-existent. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but this is a young man who is active in the community, is of good character, and despite a few bumps in the road painted in selfish yellow, he’s a likable teammate and spoken highly of in the locker room and the front office.
Now think for a moment. Is this a player any team, any fan would NOT want on their team?
Not long ago, Amare was nearly jettisoned to Atlanta in exchange for Kevin Garnett donning Suns purple (or should we say orange now?) With all we now know, and this includes the championship Garnett brought to Boston, this would have been a terrible move for the Suns.
Perhaps not on the same level as the trade where Kerr infamously said “if it works, I’m a genius. If not…”, but a poor decision nonetheless. I say that fully realizing Kevin Garnett is an amazing player. He’s a tenacious defender and intense almost to a fault, but he also has more mileage than the piece of junk Nissan I drove in high school (I miss that car,) a contract more bloated than the big guy currently manning the middle for the Suns, and until the Celtics’ Finals-clinching win last year, was questioned for his inability to show up in big games.
Kevin Garnett in a Suns uniform wouldn’t have guaranteed anything in Phoenix but a window closing even faster. The core of this team will no doubt be in transition these next couple of years as contracts come off the books and players ride off into the sunset, but think about the options for a moment.
Would you rather start from scratch? Or have a foundation of broad shoulders to build on?
I’ll take the guy the formerly sane but prophetic Stephon Marbury once said would be better than the one and only Kevin Garnett, thank you very much.
