I realize over the course of the last couple seasons, I have been hyper-critical of Amar’e Stoudemire’s inability to play defense and rebound on consistent basis. I always perceived this inconsistency to simply be a product of lack of motivation or desire. However over the course of the last 20 games I am beginning to believe this wasn’t the case at all. Rather this inconsistency was a product of his teammates and the system that he plays in.

In the last 20 games, the Suns have gone 15-5 and are marching towards the playoffs after narrowly missing the playoffs last season. This begs the question, what has changed? Most ardent Suns’ fans already know the answer to this question. The change corresponds directly to the addition to the starting lineup of Robin Lopez. Lopez stands 7 feet tall and has hair reminiscent of the character “Sideshow Bob” from the popular animated series “The Simpsons”. Lopez’s game of late has been no sideshow however. His statistics seem somewhat pedestrian only averaging 8.2 points per game, along wit 4.7 rebounds and one block per game. However, what doesn’t show up in the stats is Lopez’s ability to alter shots and take up space inside. This is truly the first time in Amar’e’s career where the Suns have had a legitimate low-post defender. Some people out there would point to Shaquille O’Neal, however by the time he arrived in the Valley of the Sun he was substantially past his prime.

The statistics for Stoudemire over the last 20 games don’t lie; he is averaging 26.8 points and 9.9 rebounds over this stretch of games. In addition, Stoudemire is playing excellent weak side help defense; blocking numerous shots that he couldn’t have in the past while he was matched up with opposing centers. I was skeptical early this season that Amar’e’s legs would ever return. Although he was a consistent offensive player early in the season, it was evident that the explosiveness was not there as it had been in the past. Amar’e was missing dunks because he was not elevating enough. Now, 67 games into the season the explosiveness has fully returned. Stoudemire has been going to the hole with a purpose and when he misses, his second jump is quicker than anyone else on the court.

I was all for trading Amar’e Stoudemire at the trade deadline as his departure after the season appeared imminent. This still may be the case, however the Amar’e himself has said that he will remain a Sun if they hit his number. I strongly suggest that we do in fact hit that number even it is a maximum contract. Amar’e appears to have his head on straight and he certainly realizes that Steve Nash is pivotal to his status as an elite player in this league. The final determination on Stoudemire we likely occur after management has seen how far the Suns go in this year’s playoffs. If Amar’e continues to play like he has over the last 20 games he can carry this team on his back when the going gets tough in the playoffs. I am thoroughly convinced if someone is able to upset the Lakers, the Suns have a legitimate chance at the NBA finals. Without Stoudemire, we likely wouldn’t be in the playoffs. Hence my recantation to pay Amar’e what he wants.

Tonight’s game against Portland is seemingly just another difficult game in the competitive Western Conference. However for the Phoenix Suns, it means so much more. With this being the final home game before the trade deadline, this could be the last time we see Amare Stoudemire in a Suns home jersey. With a win tonight the Suns could potentially be as high as the 4thseed in the Western Conference going into the All-Star break and with a loss, the Suns could slip to as far as 7th.

This is life in the Western Conference these days. One loss can move a team completely out of playoff contention. This is evidenced by the fact that the current 5-11 seeds in the West are only spaced out by 4 1/2 games. Its not as if playing the Eastern Conference is helping widen the gap, as no current Western Conference team holding one of the top 8 seeds has a losing record against the Eastern Conference.  Thus the impact of tonight’s game is amplified as the Suns do not play again until February 16that Memphis. A loss tonight could be painful to endure over the next week. In addition, if a loss coupled with a trade of Amare Stoudemire occurs, the team could once again plummet into free fall.

The chances of an Amare trade however are becoming slimmer as the days and wins continue to progress. The main concern with potential suitors is the same concern the Suns have. Will Amare Stoudemire re-sign with the team this off-season? The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers have all inquired about Stoudemire, however the only realistic trade lies in Philadelphia. Miami would love to add Amare in tandem with Dwayne Wade and hopefully entice both into signing long-term deals in the off-season. Unfortunately for Pat Riley and the Heat, they simply do not have the pieces the Suns want in return for Stoudemire.

The Suns should be able to beat the Blazers tonight on their home court. Of course, these Suns always seem to falter in games they are supposed to win. With the absence of Brandon Roy, the Blazers offense has really taken a major hit. In their past 2 games against the Lakers and Thunder, they have only been able to muster 82 and 77 points respectively. If the Suns can even come close to their league leading scoring average of 110.1 ppg they should win this game handily.

The Phoenix Suns are back to their winning ways however, the trade rumors for Amare Stoudemire continue to fly around the Internet. However it seems that some legitimate rumors appear to be coming from Philadelphia. The 76ers who are substantially underachieving this season, are actively pursuing both Amare Stoudemire and Tracy McGrady.

The Suns appear to be willing to pull the trigger on the trade for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert in exchange for Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson. The main sticking point appears to be the 76ers would prefer to take Leandro Barbosa rather than Jason Richardson.  This deal would really not be the salary relief that the Phoenix Suns desire. However, pairing up Andre Iguodala with Steve Nash could rejuvenate the potential of the athletic  Andre Iguodala. In addition, getting any return for Amare Stoudemire at this point is extremely important to the near future of the Suns.

Iguoddala is in the 2nd year of a 6-year $80 million contract and just turned 26 at the end of January. Dalembert, 28 is signed through 2011, and is slated to make $12.2 million next year. Andre Iguodala is an athletic 6′6″ swingman originally from the University of Arizona. Samuel Dalembert was born in the earthquake ravaged Port Au Prince, Haiti and played collegiately at Seton Hall.  Dalembert is not much of an offensively prescence but brings 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game to the table. Iguodala is a multi-talented player that is still developing a consistent NBA jumper. This season through 50 games, Iguodala is averaging 17.2 points, 7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Although this deal is not quite an equal return from a talent standpoint, this is the best the Suns can likely do with Amare’s current contract structure. The Suns reportedly will make a contract offer to Amare, however it will not be for the league maximum so expect him to decline. At that point, the Suns hand will be forced. Expect this deal to occur after the NBA All-Star game as Amare will represent the the Phoenix Suns along side Steve Nash in the Western Conference starting lineup.

The way the Suns have been playing of late, most fans will not be behind this deal. However unless the Suns feel they can win a NBA title with this current roster, this is the right move to make.

The Phoenix Suns free-fall continued last night in Salt Lake City. The Suns battled back from an early 17-4 deficit to take a 17 point lead late in the 3rd quarter against the Utah Jazz. This was primarily led by the unlikely heroics of the young Slovenian guard Goran Dragic. Dragic poured in 32 points (24 in the first half alone) on only 13 shots. Despite this break out performance from Dragic, the Suns porous defense reared its ugly head once again and the Suns succumbed without much of a fight in the 4th losing 124-115. In a losing effort, Steve Nash had 15 assists and crossed the 8,000 assist threshold for his career. Nash is now eighth all-time and his next target in 7th place is Gary Payton with 8,966.

The Suns are now at a crossroads at 26-20 and 7th in the Western Conference. The Amare Stoudemire trade rumors are running rampant and as Chad Ford from ESPN.com has indicated Amare is detrimental to the Suns chemistry at this point. Stoudemire will be the Western Conference’s starting Center in the All-Star game despite the fact he really plays Power Forward with a Small Forward mentality. It truly dawned upon me that being an All-Star does not mean that a player helps his team to victory. In fact, I would contend Amare has caused more Suns losses this season then games he has won. This was never more evident than last night as Carlos Boozer simply dominated Amare Stoudemire. Boozer is clearly not as athletically gifted as Amare Stoudemire, but he managed to grab 20 rebounds compared to Amare’s meager 5 rebound night. Boozer also scored more points that the complacent Stoudemire 21-16.  It simply boils down to heart and desire and Amare simply does not have those intangibles. Any team that believes Amare is a max player at this point is out of their mind. I am convinced that fan voting for the all-star game is based solely on Sportscenter’s top 10 plays. It is in fact true, that Amare can produce some electrifying dunks during the course of a game, but his lack of interest on defense allows teams to come back from insurmountable leads. The Suns should listen to trade offers that are out there (Nets, Heat, Bulls and Cavaliers have all shown interest).

Stoudemire is not the only All-Star that is hurting the Suns right now. Everyone that is familiar with my blog knows that I love Steve Nash. He is a great spokesperson for the NBA and possibly the best shooter and passer this generation has seen. However, Nash like Stoudemire plays matador type defense on a consistent basis. In the past, we could put up with this because he dominated the offense. The alarming part of Steve Nash’s game this season is the sheer volume of turnovers. Nash is averaging 4.04 turnovers per game. Specifically in January, Nash is averaging nearly 5 turnovers per game (4.9) versus the 3.8 in November; way back when they were 14-3. Nash’s assist to turnover ratio is only 2.72, good for 15th in league, even behind shoot first guard like Baron Davis. This is the lowest it has been since he was originally drafted as a Sun.  Understandably, Nash isn’t solely responsible as players are not in position or simply fumble perfect passes. However, the alarming trend of late is Nash’s propensity to leave his feet and throw the ball away typically, leading to fast breaks for the opponents.

Point blank, if Nash can not get his turnovers below 4.0 and Amare Stoudemire is not traded, the Suns will be watching the playoffs at home. I hope both happen and sooner than later.