Q & A with Amare <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Amare Stoudemire By Adam Schefter, Denver Post Sports Writer As the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire accomplished last season what each rookie selected during Thursday night's NBA draft will hope to accomplish this season. Averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, Stoudemire won this year's NBA Rookie of the Year. But Stoudemire also has another distinction. He was the only high school basketball player to make a successful transition to the NBA last year. Stoudemire might be only 20 years old, but compared to some of the prospects in last week's draft, he is the voice of experience. Adam Schefter: Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James? Amare Stoudemire: It?s a hard choice. Me and Carmelo are real good friends, so it?s hard to pick against him. But I?d take Carmelo. I think he knows the game. He?s very poised out there, very relaxed. A lot of people would pick LeBron because he?s a showtime kind of guy. But right now, I think Carmelo understands the game a lot more. Schefter: How did you lose a dunk contest in high school to Carmelo Anthony? Stoudemire: I wasn?t really sure how many points I needed, so I went for the free-throw line dunk. But he made some dunks, I missed that last one, so.... Schefter: What would you tell a player going straight from high school to the NBA? Stoudemire: It?s not as easy as it looks. It?s hard to play defense, especially after high school. Because if you?re so gifted, you don?t really have to play defense. You just block shots. Here it?s different. And off the court, you have to take care of your business. You can?t trust too many people. You have to have a good supporting cast around you. Schefter: How long did it take you to realize you can?t trust too many people? Stoudemire: I learned that in high school, from people trying to get certain things out of me. Knowing the caliber of player I was, knowing I had a chance to come out of high school and go into the NBA, a lot of guys tried to jump on the bandwagon. Schefter: Should the NBA institute an age limit of 20 for its players? Stoudemire: Why? You?ve got baseball players coming out at age 17, age 18. I don?t think high school players are that bad where they?re causing a negative impact on the NBA. If they?re not ready, then they should know that. But I don?t think they should put an age limit on them. I mean, they shouldn?t draft a guy who is 16. They should wait until he graduates high school, at least. But if he?s that good, why not bring him into the NBA? Schefter: Do you feel older than your age? Stoudemire: Yeah, just a little. I still have my tendencies where I want to go out and have fun. But when it comes down to taking care of business, I feel a lot older than 20. Schefter: What do you do on the road when your friends are going to nightclubs that, legally, you?re not supposed to be able to get into? Stoudemire: What can I do besides go to the movies, relax at the crib, invite a couple of friends over to barbecue a little bit? Do it like that. Schefter: Favorite movie? Stoudemire: Either ?Bad Boys? or ?Blue Chips.? ?Bad Boys,? with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, is kind of funny to me. And ?Blue Chips? teaches you a lot if you?re a high school player coming out about what to expect in college. It shows how you college coaches go out and recruit other players and it shows you what some colleges will do to get a certain player. Schefter: What do you like most about your house in Phoenix? Stoudemire: My backyard. I spend a lot of time back there just relaxing. Got a couple of pit bulls, Ace and Deuce. They?re the dynamic duo. They?re always back there with me. Schefter: Where would you have gone to college? Stoudemire: Memphis University, no question. First of all, I think John Calipari is a great coach. Second of all, we had a pretty good recruiting class starting with Quintel Woods. And if Dajuan Wagner would have stayed, it would have been perfect.. Schefter: Any part of you wish you had the chance to play in this year?s Final Four? Stoudemire: Yeah, oh yeah. It was very exciting, a lot of fun. And it was up for grabs. I felt that if I would have went to Memphis, Quintel Woods would have went to Memphis and Dajuan would have stayed, we would have been the team that came up victorious. Schefter: First thing you bought yourself after signing your contract? Stoudemire: A Cadillac truck - black. It?s just what I wanted. Schefter: Is there any place in Phoenix to get soul food? Stoudemire: Maybe one or two places, but there are not that many. It?s tough. Schefter: The one player who most impressed you your rookie year? Stoudemire: Mmm... probably Kobe Bryant. He?s impressed me this year a lot. He makes big shots. He?s hard to stop. So is Kevin Garnett. He has everything. I knew these guys were good, the 1-2 best players in the league. But they?re better than I thought. And Steve Christie, I didn?t think he was that good on defense. He?s a great defensive player. Schefter: Favorite CD? Stoudemire: Probably ?Me Against the World? - Tupac. It was an inspiring CD for me growing up. I grew up on a lot of Tupac music. His lyrics were not necessarily what you needed to hear. But there were things in the CD where it would teach you a couple of things. A lot of people don?t listen to him because he?s a violent kind of guy. But I learned from him you can?t trust too many people. Keep your head and stay focused. Schefter: Last concert you went to? Stoudemire: A 50 Cent concert in Phoenix. Schefter: Any players? tattoos mesmerize you? Stoudemire: No, a lot of guys have got crazy tattoos that don?t make any sense, I don?t think. Schefter: If the 2002 draft were held now, would the Denver Nuggets bypass you twice again? Stoudemire: I doubt it. And Denver was one of the four teams I worked out with. But I don?t hold no grudges, man. They picked the player they wanted. They felt comfortable picking the players they did, so whoop-de-whoop. Schefter: Most memorable moment of your rookie year? Stoudemire: There are a lot of memorable moments, but the one that stands out is when I first met Shaq. That?s the most memorable. He was my favorite player growing up. So when I met him, I was kind of stunned for a good six seconds. I was like, ?Wow!? That felt great, man. I felt I finally made it after I met Shaq. Schefter: And what would it be like talking to him today? Stoudemire: A regular conversation. I?ve grown a lot, and learned a lot. </div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "AzBalla17":</div><div class="quote_post">the 50 cent concert is the only concert he has ever been to</div> well, that would be a pretty good concert to go to!
