Amare overtakes Melo as all star starer

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

NEW YORK - Suns star Amaré Stoudemire rallied to a personal victory this week, passing Denver's Carmelo Anthony in fan voting to earn his first start in an NBA All-Star Game.

Stoudemire edged Anthony for the second forward spot alongside San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Houston's Yao Ming in the Western Conference frontcourt for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix. The official announcement of the All-Star starters will be at 5 tonight on TNT's pregame show.

Stoudemire opened the fan voting with a lead in December, but it gradually decreased with each set of returns until Anthony passed him two weeks ago.

This will be Stoudemire's fourth All-Star Game appearance in five seasons, missing a shot at the year he missed because of knee surgery. He is the first Suns' All-Star starter since Steve Nash in 2006 and the first Suns frontcourt starter since Charles Barkley in 1996.

Patched up
Since New York's visit to Phoenix, Suns General Manager Steve Kerr and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni talked to smooth over feelings from D'Antoni's rocky May departure from the Suns.

D'Antoni said May seems like years ago.

"We're good," he said.

D'Antoni could not bring himself to watch the Suns early in the season because of his emotional ties to the team, but playing a December game at US Airways Center and seeing two of his core players - Raja Bell and Boris Diaw - leave made it easier.

"It's not emotional like it was the first time," D'Antoni said. "What I have now is good. It's like getting jilted by a lover. The more days go by, you get over it."

Excited Sims
Courtney Sims got a huge 10-day raise and a three-night stay in New York and his per diem nearly quadrupled after joining the Suns. But with his signing of a 10-day contract with Phoenix on Wednesday, the best is yet to come.

"There are lots of guys I looked to when I was little," said Sims, sitting next to Grant Hill in the locker room. "You get to watch them and be like a sponge and see what they do and how they handle themselves on the court and learn from them."

Sims, a 6-foot-11 power forward/center, usually will be the Suns' inactive player but could be used in games that Shaquille O'Neal does not play







Fuck fan voting, the amount of votes he has should be cut in half since he only plays hard on 1 side of the court. Once again a name makes it when several players (Dirk, Gasol) deserved it more.

[FreeMason]

I was watching Dallas insider and The Mavs were treating kids out to a day with Kidd for filling out 75k ballots LOL

[DAF86]

Who the fuck votes for Amare? All the Suns fans that I hear want to kill him.

[turiaf for president]

lol at mavs story

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Who the fuck votes for Amare? All the Suns fans that I hear want to kill him.

If you're accusing me of voting for that retarded idiot then I might have to jump through the computer screen and kick your ass :lol

[DAF86]

If you're accusing me of voting for that retarded idiot then I might have to jump through the computer screen and kick your ass :lol

I'm not. That's exactly why I can't understand who's voting for him.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I'm not. That's exactly why I can't understand who's voting for him.

O I thought you were sarcastically hinting at the same Suns fans that say they hate him are voting for him.

And as far as who's voting for him, there are still tons and tons of Amare homers who think they're watching the best PF in the NBA every time Amare throws down a dunk in garbage time.

Plus I wouldn't be surprised if he got some of the China vote since it's a recognizable name and he seems like the type of over hyped scorer Chinese fans who didn't know what the NBA was until Yao Ming was drafted would love.

[jack sommerset]

Idiots voted for Marbury. Amare is not a stetch.

[Darthkiller]

Who the fuck votes for Amare? All the Suns fans that I hear want to kill him.

http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/94526/vote5-300x199_medium.jpg

[lefty]

Melo superior to Amare

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

And DAF86, if I was a fan Dallas/Houston/Utah I would have voted Amare into the all star game. The last thing the Suns need is something such as an all star start that will make A'm'a'r'e think he is "THA MAN!!!" and further make Amare believe it's his job to force shots and that since he's an all star he doesn't have to play D and a player who isn't "THA MAN!!!" can play defense for him since they are fortunate enough to be graced with his awesomeness.

You can tell how this Amaretard's mind works and he definitely is a player who's thought process is, "If I'm really good at offense I can get away with crap defense and focus solely on scoring even if it means the opposing PF has a career night on the offensive boards."

[Behrooz24]

& Yi overtakes Garnett, if all goes accordingly

[Kamnik]

no disrespect to the thread starter

but....

who gives a fuck about all star game/starters

[Dex]

While I have a hard time supporting Amare for anything, Anthony hasn't exactly been spectacular this season. He's missed a large chunk due to various injuries, and aside from that 33-point outburst, hasn't been up to form even when he's on the floor.

If Melo doesn't make AllStar starter by his popularity with the fans, I don't see the coaches voting him in.

[baseline bum]

Who the fuck votes for Amare? All the Suns fans that I hear want to kill him.

I voted for Amare. He's been one of my favorite players since he came in the league.

[scanry]

People need to cut Amare some slack. I've been fed up with Amare before, but the guy just looks lost on the court. It is the coach who's supposed to guide & point out the mistakes that he is making. Pop would've gone midevel on Amare had he made a fraction of the mistakes that he's making right now.

If Porter had a pair, he'd take control of this sinking ship before it's too late. BTW enough with feeding Shaq down low. I don't think that is working at the moment and instead it's isolating every Suns player on the court.

The Suns have only one identity and that is to run & gun, and dummies like Kerr, Sarver & Porter still haven't realised that. :lol

Another observation, the Knicks played far better defense than the Suns last night, and what does that tell you. Besides Hill, they just don't have defensive personals on their team. :bang

Shawn Marion made up for a lot of their defensive liabilities, and it still wasn't enough.

[JamStone]

Amare will prove to the world what a defensive wall he is matched up against LeBron James.

:rollin

[DAF86]

I voted for Amare. He's been one of my favorite players since he came in the league.

That's cool, I just wanted to know :D

[DAF86]

Amare will prove to the world what a defensive wall he is matched up against LeBron James.

:rollin

Yep that's what I don't like.
All-star ballots, or even better, Basketball positions should be separeted in: Point guard (1), wings (2 and 3) and Pivots (4 and 5)

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

People need to cut Amare some slack. I've been fed up with Amare before, but the guy just looks lost on the court. It is the coach who's supposed to guide & point out the mistakes that he is making. Pop would've gone midevel on Amare had he made a fraction of the mistakes that he's making right now.

If Porter had a pair, he'd take control of this sinking ship before it's too late. BTW enough with feeding Shaq down low. I don't think that is working at the moment and instead it's isolating every Suns player on the court.

The Suns have only one identity and that is to run & gun, and dummies like Kerr, Sarver & Porter still haven't realised that. :lol

Another observation, the Knicks played far better defense than the Suns last night, and what does that tell you. Besides Hill, they just don't have defensive personals on their team. :bang

Shawn Marion made up for a lot of their defensive liabilities, and it still wasn't enough.

Any team can play decent D if it wants to, the more accurate statement is Hill is the only player on the Suns who brings it on D. Nash, J-Rich, Barnes, Amare, and Barbosa all take plays off on D and make crucial mistakes.

And if Amare were a rookie the coach excuse would work, but this is his 7th year in the league, he shouldn't need the coach to hold his hand, that excuse has run its course again and again and again and again etc. You're basically saying that someone who claims he is "THA MAN!!!" and is just as good as LeBron, Howard and Wade needs the coach to wipe his ass for him every time he fucks up on defense?

Enough with feeding Shaq down low? Why? Shaq is averaging 19.6 points when the Suns win and 14.7 points when they lose, I guess you're right, when Shaq is uninvolved they play SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better.

If you are searching for a player who's number of touches always seem to correlate with the Suns losing, look no further, Amare is averaging 2 more shots when the Suns lose compared to when the Suns win.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

no disrespect to the thread starter

but....

who gives a fuck about all star game/starters

Normally I wouldn't care, but IMO Amare getting voted into the all star game will have a negative effect on the Suns because it will further inflate his ego which will result in him playing worse defense, which makes it worth posting.

[scanry]

Normally I wouldn't care, but IMO Amare getting voted into the all star game will have a negative effect on the Suns because it will further inflate his ego which will result in him playing worse defense, which makes it worth posting.

Is that humanly possible? :lol

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Is that humanly possible? :lol

You wouldn't think so but I didn't think Amare could get any dumber. He proved me wrong with his quote last week about getting his "gorilla game on".

He'll probably just stay on the offensive side of the court with a few more all star births. He'll also want to change his jersey number from 1 to "#1 franchise player" and his jersey name from Stoudemire to "Tupac Jr.".

[Armando]

Amare will prove to the world what a defensive wall he is matched up against LeBron James.

:rollin



Defense and All Star games is an oxymoron.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Defense and All Star games is an oxymoron.

Defense and Amare is a bigger oxymoron. Almost as big as intelligence and Amare. Mental retardation and Amare is a redundancy while we're on the topic.

[Armando]

Defense and Amare is a bigger oxymoron. Almost as big as intelligence and Amare. Mental retardation and Amare is a redundancy while we're on the topic.



Still waiting on his "gorilla game". :lol

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Still waiting on his "gorilla game". :lol

I think the gorillas are still at the zoo and Amare forgot to pick them up.

[portpower_11]

I don't want to see Amare, Tmac and Anthony in either starter or reserves lineup.

I think that Dirk, Gasol and AJ more deserve tham the three.

However, probably only one out of Dirk, Gasol and AJ will make it.