duncan228
09-05-2009, 11:17 PM
Stoudemire sets sights on big season, big payday (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/12161755)
By Ken Berger
CBSSports.com
Amar'e Stoudemire was back on the court this past week, rocking a pair of goggles to protect his surgically repaired eye and looking nothing like a man who'd missed five months of competitive basketball.
"Breathtaking" is a word one eyewitness used when discussing Stoudemire's return to full-contact drills on the Phoenix Suns' practice court. Much more meaningful was a comment that came from veteran Grant Hill, who couldn't believe how active and agile Stoudemire was after such a long layoff.
"If I didn't play for five months and came out here," Hill told a confidant, "I would die."
Maybe, just maybe, it's not time to bury the Suns in the desert just yet. With a formidable weight lifted by the undoing of the ill-fated Shaq trade, the organization can look ahead to the 2009-10 season with a sense of relief, if not quite optimism.
Stoudemire's quick recovery from eye surgery, the re-signing of Hill and Steve Nash, and the drafting of first-round pick Earl Clark have the Suns feeling frisky again. The practice gym has consistently hosted 10 players a day since early August, the first time that has happened to anyone's recollection since Phoenix first re-signed Nash in 2004.
The key figure in all of this, of course, is Stoudemire, who had plenty of time to reflect on the emptiness of his career to this point after undergoing a second procedure on his right eye in July. Afterward, Stoudemire had to lay face-down all but two hours a day for about 10 days to ensure proper healing of the detached retina he suffered when he was poked in the eye in February. He wasn't cleared for strength training until about three weeks ago, and finally returned to on-court drills Sept. 1.
Sources say Stoudemire emerged from the ordeal more determined than ever to reclaim his status as one of the most prolific power forwards in the game. More importantly, the typically aloof Amar'e has been more receptive than ever to suggestions that he embrace a bigger leadership role. It is likely that he'll be named one of the Suns' three captains before the start of the season.
It's too early to handicap the results of this supposed transformation. Stoudemire, 26, still likes to have fun with cryptic quotes, and he raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he told reporters after his first day back on the court, "This might be my farewell tour, huh? If so, I'm going out with a bang, baby."
Most likely, it was just another case of Amar'e being Amar'e. Nonetheless, there is this small matter of Stoudemire's early-termination option after the 2009-10 season. This small matter is inexorably linked to the larger matter of the Suns being about $4 million over the luxury-tax threshold when the season starts. So far, there have been no edicts from the Suns' fickle owner, Robert Sarver, to get under the tax. But if the Suns are struggling along with Sarver's non-NBA businesses (centered in the calamitous banking and real estate sectors), all of that will be subject to change.
By all accounts, Stoudemire is in surprisingly good condition considering his inactivity this summer. He has gained some weight, but the added bulk was welcomed by the Suns' training staff. There's no question he's motivated to prove his doubters wrong. Assuming these factors, plus the return of Nash, conspire to produce an eye-popping season for Amar'e -- no pun intended -- then both sides will have some decisions to make.
The Suns have nothing to lose by evaluating Stoudemire and the rest of the roster before committing to an extension. (The odds of one of those happening before next summer are virtually nonexistent.) Stoudemire has everything to gain by producing the most impactful season of his eight-year career, which would make it worthwhile to walk away from the $17.7 million he is due in 2010-11 by opting out.
Both sides are in wait-and-see mode. But while all the attention is on the free-agent summer of 2010 as the "Summer of LeBron," here is a different way to look at it: If Stoudemire bounces back with a vengeance this season, he could suddenly find himself in the enviable position of being the most desirable 2010 free agent with a realistic chance of leaving his current team.
"Maybe Dwyane [Wade] leaves, but I don't think anybody believes LeBron leaves Cleveland," an NBA front-office source said. "They're spending $100 million trying to win a title for the guy. If you're starting a team tomorrow, I'm not sure how many people pick [Chris] Bosh over Amar'e. Other than that, there's nobody who's his equal on the free-agent market and I think he knows that."
When James stated publicly this past week that he remained open to signing a short-term extension with the Cavs before June 30, 2010, it only bolstered the notion that the Summer of LeBron could be anticlimactic. A two- or three-year extension beyond '10-'11 would lock in future years under the current salary structure while preserving the flexibility that James has stated is so important to him. Another way James could achieve that would be to negotiate player options or early-termination clauses into any extension he agrees to. The same strategy would work for Wade or Bosh, who might feel less enthused about leaving Toronto if the Raptors' active offseason results in a deep playoff run.
So if James and Wade stay put next summer, and if Bosh finds himself closer to title contention in Toronto than he expected, then the Summer of LeBron could very easily become the Summer of Amar'e. And instead of lying on his stomach for a week-and-a-half in early July, Stoudemire will be the busiest free agent in the league.
By Ken Berger
CBSSports.com
Amar'e Stoudemire was back on the court this past week, rocking a pair of goggles to protect his surgically repaired eye and looking nothing like a man who'd missed five months of competitive basketball.
"Breathtaking" is a word one eyewitness used when discussing Stoudemire's return to full-contact drills on the Phoenix Suns' practice court. Much more meaningful was a comment that came from veteran Grant Hill, who couldn't believe how active and agile Stoudemire was after such a long layoff.
"If I didn't play for five months and came out here," Hill told a confidant, "I would die."
Maybe, just maybe, it's not time to bury the Suns in the desert just yet. With a formidable weight lifted by the undoing of the ill-fated Shaq trade, the organization can look ahead to the 2009-10 season with a sense of relief, if not quite optimism.
Stoudemire's quick recovery from eye surgery, the re-signing of Hill and Steve Nash, and the drafting of first-round pick Earl Clark have the Suns feeling frisky again. The practice gym has consistently hosted 10 players a day since early August, the first time that has happened to anyone's recollection since Phoenix first re-signed Nash in 2004.
The key figure in all of this, of course, is Stoudemire, who had plenty of time to reflect on the emptiness of his career to this point after undergoing a second procedure on his right eye in July. Afterward, Stoudemire had to lay face-down all but two hours a day for about 10 days to ensure proper healing of the detached retina he suffered when he was poked in the eye in February. He wasn't cleared for strength training until about three weeks ago, and finally returned to on-court drills Sept. 1.
Sources say Stoudemire emerged from the ordeal more determined than ever to reclaim his status as one of the most prolific power forwards in the game. More importantly, the typically aloof Amar'e has been more receptive than ever to suggestions that he embrace a bigger leadership role. It is likely that he'll be named one of the Suns' three captains before the start of the season.
It's too early to handicap the results of this supposed transformation. Stoudemire, 26, still likes to have fun with cryptic quotes, and he raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he told reporters after his first day back on the court, "This might be my farewell tour, huh? If so, I'm going out with a bang, baby."
Most likely, it was just another case of Amar'e being Amar'e. Nonetheless, there is this small matter of Stoudemire's early-termination option after the 2009-10 season. This small matter is inexorably linked to the larger matter of the Suns being about $4 million over the luxury-tax threshold when the season starts. So far, there have been no edicts from the Suns' fickle owner, Robert Sarver, to get under the tax. But if the Suns are struggling along with Sarver's non-NBA businesses (centered in the calamitous banking and real estate sectors), all of that will be subject to change.
By all accounts, Stoudemire is in surprisingly good condition considering his inactivity this summer. He has gained some weight, but the added bulk was welcomed by the Suns' training staff. There's no question he's motivated to prove his doubters wrong. Assuming these factors, plus the return of Nash, conspire to produce an eye-popping season for Amar'e -- no pun intended -- then both sides will have some decisions to make.
The Suns have nothing to lose by evaluating Stoudemire and the rest of the roster before committing to an extension. (The odds of one of those happening before next summer are virtually nonexistent.) Stoudemire has everything to gain by producing the most impactful season of his eight-year career, which would make it worthwhile to walk away from the $17.7 million he is due in 2010-11 by opting out.
Both sides are in wait-and-see mode. But while all the attention is on the free-agent summer of 2010 as the "Summer of LeBron," here is a different way to look at it: If Stoudemire bounces back with a vengeance this season, he could suddenly find himself in the enviable position of being the most desirable 2010 free agent with a realistic chance of leaving his current team.
"Maybe Dwyane [Wade] leaves, but I don't think anybody believes LeBron leaves Cleveland," an NBA front-office source said. "They're spending $100 million trying to win a title for the guy. If you're starting a team tomorrow, I'm not sure how many people pick [Chris] Bosh over Amar'e. Other than that, there's nobody who's his equal on the free-agent market and I think he knows that."
When James stated publicly this past week that he remained open to signing a short-term extension with the Cavs before June 30, 2010, it only bolstered the notion that the Summer of LeBron could be anticlimactic. A two- or three-year extension beyond '10-'11 would lock in future years under the current salary structure while preserving the flexibility that James has stated is so important to him. Another way James could achieve that would be to negotiate player options or early-termination clauses into any extension he agrees to. The same strategy would work for Wade or Bosh, who might feel less enthused about leaving Toronto if the Raptors' active offseason results in a deep playoff run.
So if James and Wade stay put next summer, and if Bosh finds himself closer to title contention in Toronto than he expected, then the Summer of LeBron could very easily become the Summer of Amar'e. And instead of lying on his stomach for a week-and-a-half in early July, Stoudemire will be the busiest free agent in the league.