It's Time



If you would have asked me three-years ago if I would ever advocate a trade for Amare Stoudemire, I would have said no. Pardon the pun but he was truly our prodigal son. We drafted him and watched him go from a raw but awe inspiring young athlete to a scoring machine that couldn't be contained. He dunked on anyone that stood in his way and greats like Duncan and Garnett had trouble stopping this force of nature. Time though, can change everything.

Initially, all Amare could live on was effort. He crashed the glass with reckless abandon and threw his body around all over the court. With his new found jump shot and offensive game, that effort has vanished. It's not rare to see the 6'10'' jumping jack pull down five or six boards a game. It's also not rare to see opposing big men with limited ability routinely score on him. He has become strictly a scorer with little substance.

In his mind, he feels that he's on par with the likes of Lebron and Bosh but it is very apparent that those players have surpassed him long ago. His development has stunted and you also can't forget his knees. Microfracture surgery looms again on the horizon and once that explosive lift is finally gone, what will remain? It's hard to say goodbye to a player that I've watched mature and come back from adversity. But, in the end, he will never evolve beyond what he currently is. It's a shame really because he could have been one to remember. In retrospect, I will remember him, but more for what he could have been.