I understand. My point was that it's easy to get overly excited about a team and player. I've invested a lot of hopes for many, many years, only to look like an idiot to my non-Warrior fan friends.
Well, it sounds as if the Amare deal is dead. I was worried Amare didn't want to play center and it's better we found out before the trade. Two sources: Stoudemire has little interest in coming to the Warriors Posted by Tim Kawakami on June 30th, 2009 at 4:20 pm | Categorized as NBA, Warriors This has to be quick because I’m writing my column for tomorrow’s paper, on guess what… Two high-placed NBA sources this afternoon said that Amare Stoudemire has little interest in joining the Warriors and indicated that the likeliest scenario at this point is for him to stay with the Suns this season. It is not clear whether Stoudemire has expressed this to the Warriors, or relayed it to them, or if it’s a change of attitude from the hectic minutes during the draft, when it was widely assumed (by me, too) that the Warriors were close to acquiring Stoudemire. It was also assumed that Stoudemire was either agreeable to the deal–and a potential max contract extension from the Warriors–or that he was at least willing to consider the notion of staying with the Warriors for the long-term as a condition to this deal. But Stoudemire can become an unrestricted free agent next summer and it’s extremely unlikely that the Warriors or any team would give up bundles of talent to acquire him only to risk losing him after one season. Stoudemire has told associates that he believes the Warriors could be giving up too much in the proposed deal (Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and a wrangle over Stephen Curry) to guarantee that he’d be in a successful situation this season. He also apparently is reluctant to play center, and it’s generally assumed that his natural position under Don Nelson would be center, next to Anthony Randolph. Full article here http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...est-in-coming-to-the-warriors/#comment-143939
It's fine if the deal is dead. But, if the report by TK is somewhat true, why would Amare have reluctance to play C under Nellie when all his best years were playing C. Only last year when Shaq came, he had a down year.
I've heard Amare is pretty much just trying to land a giant contract. He knows that teams think hes injury prone, potentially bad locker room presence, etc. and that will hurts his signability both now and next offseason. Hes trying to get that max extension any way possible- if its from the Suns he'll take it, if its from the W's he'll take it, even if he doesn't want to play C or likes other teams better. Sounds like the deal is all but dead though. Lucky for the W's there seems to be other options. Utah is desperate to move Boozer because after he and Okur both opted into the final year of their contracts they don't have any money to keep Millsap. Granted, I think they need cap relief more than naything maybe we can find a way to land Boozer. I've suggested David West before but thats just my own speculation. Same for Bogut. I'd love to get Josh Howard too.
Basically from all the rumors, it seems that Amare believes he deserves a max contract on a winning team. It just doesn't sound like he'd want to be somewhere if he wasn't guaranteed to win. I can understand that since he basically will have a wide open choice next year, but he's gambling a bit too by not securing a future, unless winning really does truly come first for him. I'd have to see the contract to believe that, though. I never respected Amare much from all of the stories people close to him have given, though. He doesn't seem to respect the Warriors either, so it'd be a risky move to even try to make it work.
I think the Warriors should start looking elsewhere. The trouble with this deal is there are three parties involved. It was difficult enough for the Warriors and Suns to agree, not that they have, but now one has to get Amare to agree. EDIT: I just saw the free agent list. The problem is after Amare, unless we're talking about getting Chris Bosh, the dropoff is pretty steep. Yikes. 2009 free agent list http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...?slug=ys-freeagents062909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
To sum up Amare ... He demands to be paid a max deal extension He demands to be on a winning team He demands to be the man, making max money, on a winning team DIVA
Kawakami picked up on my post about not much after Amare and Bosh. Charlie V looks to go to Detroit with Ben Gordon, but we got something similar already with Brandan Wright and Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry. I rather have the latter since Charlie V looks like a freak. He mentions Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass or Marvin Williams, but the Warriors will probably have to overpay for them and they're not difference makers like Amare. Anyone there that will give the Warriors a chance for the playoffs? I guess they would not have to be an all-star, but have to be close to being one. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...he-fa-storm-wholl-be-left-for-them/#more-5044
Frye's the only guy out there that fits outside Amare and Bosh. None of the others really improve on what we have.
