Why Amare SHOULD decide to stay a Sun

[Irish]

Later today (Wed) the bidding will start in the Free Agent Chase. It seems likely that ome of the five teams with big cap money will make an offer more than the Suns It is possible that it won't happen, but it is likely. If he gets his Max Max offer, it will be hard to turn it down. But if it is something less, he ought to consider why staying with the Suns makes so much sense.

1. STEVE NASH: Amare is a great pick and roll player, but has never been nearly as effective when Nash was injured. Rose is a terrric player, but he averages 6.2 apg. Last season, Nash had 11.0 apg.

2. SUNS WILL BE A BETTER TEAM THAN THE BIDDING TEAMS: Of teams with cap space, only the Heat were in the playoffs. All of these teams had to renounce the Bird rights of their secondary players and all of their depth. It could easily take two to three years for these teams to get back to being playoff teams and some like the Bulls won't have the money for a second MAX MAX player. The Suns will be returning the roster that helped Amare get to the Western Conference finals last season.

3. SUNS HAVE GOOD CHEMISTRY: Not all teams have good chemistry and having a tradition of losing is harder to turn around than most people realize. Teams loaded with new and young players are not guaranteed to click and certainly not right away.

4. SUNS HAVE A COACH AMARE KNOWS AND RELATES WELL WITH: Alvin Gentry has been with Amare for a number of years and has done a good job at helping him improve. Other coaches are not so likely to be as understanding.

5. SUNS ARE A TEAM BUILT FOR AMARE BUT WITHOUT THE PRESSURE OF HAVING TO RESCUE THE TEAM. The Suns have a roster of players who can shoot and do not HAVE to drive the basket all the time. But Amare does not have the same kind of expectations a MAX MAX player would have in other cities.

6. PHOENIX IS AMARE'S HOME Changing cities is hard on any family, but Amare has spent his entire adult life in Phoenix.

Obviously if he gets a MAX MAX offer, he is likely going to take it. But from all reports, he wants to find a way to stay in Phoenix than wanting to find a way to leave. It is not likely to trump a max max contract, but may help if the money isot too far away.

 

[slinslin]

1. Amare had like 30/12 against OKC when Nash was injured this year. You just don't know. You base that on less than 10 games.
He might very well flourish without Nash when other facets of his game will be used and he might get more touches.

2. Only for the next 1-2 years beyond that the Suns future is cloudy. And it's not like we will win a championship in the next 5 years.

3. Chemistry is valuable but overrated. We didn't make the finals.

4. I don't know how you figure that a Pat Riley or Rick Adelman is less likely to help Amare improve than Gentry who prior to this year had a terrible track record.

5. Suns aren't build for Amare, Amare was developed and used to fit into the system.

6. Maybe true, but he has enough money to keep a home here and there. His kids are still only like 3 years old it's easy to move.

 

[AzStevenCal]

2. SUNS WILL BE A BETTER TEAM THAN THE BIDDING TEAMS: Of teams with cap space, only the Heat were in the playoffs. All of these teams had to renounce the Bird rights of their secondary players and all of their depth. It could easily take two to three years for these teams to get back to being playoff teams and some like the Bulls won't have the money for a second MAX MAX player. The Suns will be returning the roster that helped Amare get to the Western Conference finals last season.

We made it to the WCF in large part due to Amare and in no small part due to unusually good fortune (key injuries elsewhere for example). Take Amare off of last year's team and I doubt we come anywhere close to the playoffs. Add that caliber player to a basically intact Chicago team and they are a far superior team to the one we fielded this year, IMO. Also, if they pick up Amare through a sign and trade they will have enough for an additional max player.

The same thing probably holds true for New Jersey also. If they were to sign Amare and a Paul Pierce/Ray Allen type player they'd have all-star or near all-star talent at 4 positions. It wouldn't be that tough to turn that team into a juggernaut either. Make that other free agent Lebron James and they are instantly thrust into the championship picture.

Steve

 

[PDXChris]

1. Amare had like 30/12 against OKC when Nash was injured this year. You just don't know. You base that on less than 10 games.
He might very well flourish without Nash when other facets of his game will be used and he might get more touches.

2. Only for the next 1-2 years beyond that the Suns future is cloudy. And it's not like we will win a championship in the next 5 years.

3. Chemistry is valuable but overrated. We didn't make the finals.

4. I don't know how you figure that a Pat Riley or Rick Adelman is less likely to help Amare improve than Gentry who prior to this year had a terrible track record.

5. Suns aren't build for Amare, Amare was developed and used to fit into the system.

6. Maybe true, but he has enough money to keep a home here and there. His kids are still only like 3 years old it's easy to move.

You are on a roll this week. Great response and can not argue with any of it.

Pat Riley, if anyone can get him to becoming a better defender.

 

[Mulli]

Bulls have enough money for a second max max player.

 

[nashman]

1. Amare had like 30/12 against OKC when Nash was injured this year. You just don't know. You base that on less than 10 games.
He might very well flourish without Nash when other facets of his game will be used and he might get more touches. Please! He might be the next Jordan but HIGHLY unlikely, he has never shown sustained effort or self motivation. Without Nash feeding him easy points he will resort to his pathetic drive attempts where the ball gets taken from him over and over.


2. Only for the next 1-2 years beyond that the Suns future is cloudy. And it's not like we will win a championship in the next 5 years. Could say the same for most teams!

3. Chemistry is valuable but overrated. We didn't make the finals. Closer than any teams besides the 2 that made it, Chemistry seemed pretty freakin huge in this teams run, an I don't think the players feel its overated they love being a part of it. Amare is just in his own world where he thinks he is the best player alive... which clearly he is not.

4. I don't know how you figure that a Pat Riley or Rick Adelman is less likely to help Amare improve than Gentry who prior to this year had a terrible track record. Don't know why you would figure just because those guys are good coaches that Amare would relate to either of them! Gentry has done a good job off communicating with Amare not sure why you think two old white guys would somehow improve him defensively better.

5. Suns aren't build for Amare, Amare was developed and used to fit into the system.
Because you don't build a team around a guy like Amare, you build teams around guys like Tim Duncan (you know ones who can play both ends). Thank god the Suns didn't build around him as we would really be in trouble. As it is we can recover if we lose him.

6. Maybe true, but he has enough money to keep a home here and there. His kids are still only like 3 years old it's easy to move true enough

 

[JCSunsfan]

Too many teams have cleared too much money. NY, NJ, Chicago, and Miami all have cleared enough for two players. I believe the Clippers have enough room to sign 1. Plus there must be someone I missed. Also, someone is going to resign with their own team. So there is room in this market to sign 10 or more max players. EVERYONE is going to be overpaid in this environment.

Amare is going to get max dollars for max years. The only reason he would be considering taking less is because he really WANTS to play here.

 

[DeAnna]

The scenario that makes the most sense to me is for him to opt in, make $17mm this season, then become a free agent next year.

That way he won't have to compete for max dollars with all the free agents this year.

 

[SunsTzu]

The scenario that makes the most sense to me is for him to opt in, make $17mm this season, then become a free agent next year.

That way he won't have to compete for max dollars with all the free agents this year.

That would be an epically bad decision. There are more than enough max slots available this year with teams desperate to make a splash. He'd also have to forgo the security of a multi-year contract which is a risky proposition for someone with an injury history. But the biggest reason not to do this is the pending CBA changes/lockout. It is almost a certainty that the next CBA will reduce max salaries.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

That would be an epically bad decision. There are more than enough max slots available this year with teams desperate to make a splash. He'd also have to forgo the security of a multi-year contract which is a risky proposition for someone with an injury history. But the biggest reason not to do this is the pending CBA changes/lockout. It is almost a certainty that the next CBA will reduce max salaries.

This.

 

[DeAnna]

pending CBA changes/lockout. It is almost a certainty that the next CBA will reduce max salaries.

Really? I guess that explains why everyone wants to go for broke this year!

 

[Irish]

Charles Barklley

But I'll be honest: I would not re-sign Amar'e Stoudemire."
That'll get the owner's attention.
"I wouldn't do it for three reasons," Barkley said. "One, his knees; two, his eyes; and three, he wants a maximum deal. Now, he's a terrific player. Don't get me wrong. But at this stage of his career he's never been the best player on his team. That's not a max player."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...-GM-search-charles-barkley.html#ixzz0sN6ynQCj

Do these other teams value Amae vastly much more than Charles does?

Assuming Amare is still the lackluster defender/rebounder of the p;ast, is it reasonable that Pat Riley of the Heat, Avery Johnson of the Nets, and Thibodeau of the Bulls would want to pay him Bax Max?

 

[Yuma]

They had a former agent for Tim Duncan and Grant Hill on the radio, and he basically tells his clients you KNOW what you have on your current team, and new teams are rarely ever better than the situation you already know. He was high on guys staying where they were happy already.

 

[SirStefan32]

You are on a roll this week. Great response and can not argue with any of it.

Pat Riley, if anyone can get him to becoming a better defender.

I think Pat Riley might strangle him though. Pat is a terrific coach, but I think Amare is exactly the type of a player who would drive a great coach insane.

 

[SirStefan32]

I think Amare will be a consolation prize for a terrible team that didn't get James or Wade.
I can see a team signing him as a "2nd star" but I am not sure anyone but desperate teams will give him that much money. If I were a betting man, I'd say that Amare is going to be in the New York/ New Jersey area next year.

 

[cly2tw]

Amare was part of the recruiting team to get Nash signed here, saying "it's your team". If Nash wasn't going to do some similar recruiting actions, like saying "I will give the team back to you", I guess money eslewhere would be too tempting for Amare to pass up.

Under Riley, Amare would have developed into a great defender. If anything, Amare has been responding to coaches instructions too much to a fault.

 

[devilalum]

Amare was part of the recruiting team to get Nash signed here, saying "it's your team". If Nash wasn't going to do some similar recruiting actions, like saying "I will give the team back to you", I guess money eslewhere would be too tempting for Amare to pass up.

Under Riley, Amare would have developed into a great defender. If anything, Amare has been responding to coaches instructions too much to a fault.

Disagree. Amare "conserves" energy too much to be a good defender.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Amare was part of the recruiting team to get Nash signed here, saying "it's your team". If Nash wasn't going to do some similar recruiting actions, like saying "I will give the team back to you", I guess money eslewhere would be too tempting for Amare to pass up.

Under Riley, Amare would have developed into a great defender. If anything, Amare has been responding to coaches instructions too much to a fault.

Wow. Once again you find a way to lay everything at the feet of Steve Nash. It's Steve's fault because he wouldn't do for Amare what Amare was willing to do for him. And, gee, the only reason Amare stands around counting ceiling tiles while everyone else works their butts off is because the coaches want him to. Unreal!

Steve

 

[cly2tw]

Disagree. Amare "conserves" energy too much to be a good defender.

He conserves energy as he never learned the proper techniques of benting his knee throughout on defense, which he starts to learn this past season. He used to run in 'hops' from baseline to baseline, which he just stopped doing this past season. DA never cared about developing it, or at least Amare has the excuse.

Wow. Once again you find a way to lay everything at the feet of Steve Nash. It's Steve's fault because he wouldn't do for Amare what Amare was willing to do for him. And, gee, the only reason Amare stands around counting ceiling tiles while everyone else works their butts off is because the coaches want him to. Unreal!

Steve

You are reading too much into my post. Nash might have already done exactly what I said. And as recruiting slogans, it'd be helpful to make Amare feel wanted and stay for equal or maybe less money. But if Sarver weren't willing to pay market price, all that lip service wouldn't help anywhere. How could you conclude that I blamed it all on Steve?

 

[Chaplin]

You are reading too much into my post. Nash might have already done exactly what I said. And as recruiting slogans, it'd be helpful to make Amare feel wanted and stay for equal or maybe less money. But if Sarver weren't willing to pay market price, all that lip service wouldn't help anywhere. How could you conclude that I blamed it all on Steve?

Because that's your MO. Whether people read your posts or not, there's a 95% chance that somewhere you blame Nash for something.

 

[Covert Rain]

Because that's your MO. Whether people read your posts or not, there's a 95% chance that somewhere you blame Nash for something.

You mean like Nashman defending Nash and blaming it all on Amare?

 

[cly2tw]

Guys, I'm just keeping it a little balanced as it at time seemed that Amare was the scapegoat for majority of fans on this board. And, I'm among the biggest Nash admirers who are not really Nash-can-never-do-wrong worshippers.

 

[elindholm]

Because that's your MO. Whether people read your posts or not, there's a 95% chance that somewhere you blame Nash for something.

And the other 5% is that someone hacked his account.

 

[Irish]

One of the big problems with Amare was that D'Antoni never stressed techmique when it came to defense and rebounding. Mike seemed to think defense IN ONLY ABOUT ENERGY. But Mike wanted to save energy by not having tough practices. Gentry saved energy by having a long bench and stressed defense too.

Defense is as much about technique as energy. It can only be learned by lots of practice.

IMHO, if Amare ends up with the Knicks, he will regress.

 

[AzStevenCal]

And the other 5% is that someone hacked his account.

LOL