Suns Basketball » chris bosh

Despite Champion Lakers, NBA Seeing Power Shift From West to East

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:36:03 +0000

Filed under: 76ers, Bobcats, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Wizards, Eastern, Western, Thunder, NBA Free Agents

LAS VEGAS -- This continental divide started in 1996 when Shaquille O'Neal bolted from Orlando in the East to the Lakers in the West. It really got going when Michael Jordan retired from Chicago in the East in 1998.

But those in the East are getting tired of having sand kicked in their faces.

Yes, the Western Conference still has won nine of the past 12 NBA titles and 10 of the last 11 seasonal inter-conference battles. Yet there finally is starting to be some chortling in the East.

After losing the conference regular season match-up for nine straight years, the East finally broke through in 2008-09 to win 51.3 percent of the games between the conferences. The West came back to win 54.7 percent of the battles last season (it didn't help that New Jersey and New York, in trying to clear salary-cap room, weren't trying to win). But this summer has shown the East could end up being the dominant conference this decade.

Of those generally believed to be the top eight free agents, seven signed with East teams. Five (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce) stayed in the East and two went from West to East (Amar'e Stoudemire from Phoenix to New York and Carlos Boozer from Utah to Chicago). The only one to end up with a West team was Dirk Nowitzki re-signing with Dallas.

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Stoudemire, Knicks Agree on Max Deal

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:49:23 +0000

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Knicks, Suns, NBA Free Agents

NEW YORK (AP) -- Amar'e Stoudemire is headed to the New York Knicks, and both sides are hoping he's not coming alone.

The Knicks said Monday they intend to sign Stoudemire to a contract later this week when the free agent moratorium period ends. Stoudemire's agent, Happy Walters, said the deal is for the maximum allowed, which would be nearly $100 million over five years.

Wearing a blue Knicks hat, Stoudemire said he looked forward to rebuilding a franchise and bringing the Knicks back to the top-maybe with a player such as LeBron James or Dwyane Wade with him.

"I feel great about being a pioneer and showing my leadership," he said at Madison Square Garden, where signs throughout the entrances showed the player pictured in a Knicks uniform and reading "Welcome, Amar'e Stoudemire."

The deal can't be signed until Thursday, after the salary cap for next season has been set.

It was a desperately needed score in free agency for the Knicks, who spent two seasons clearing enough cap space to afford two top players. They met with James, Wade and Chris Bosh last week and believe they could still land one of them.

Shoals: Does Stoudemire Have Something to Prove? | SI.com: What's Next for Knicks?

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The Economic Quandary of 2010 Max Players

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:05:40 +0000

by Bethlehem Shoals

Filed under: Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Knicks, Raptors, Suns, NBA Free Agents

There is no one -- I mean, no one -- who doesn't believe LeBron James should get the most money an NBA player can be legally tendered. This generosity, of course, comes with limits, and these limits are called the salary caps. James is only eligible to earn X amount of money, based on the reigning Collective Bargaining Agreement and LeBron's tenure in the league. Bored yet?

Here's the simple part: The NBA sets parameters for how much superstars like LeBron can be paid. The question is, what does this mean for everyone else looking to get paid this summer? Do we see whatever James, the uber-player, gets as the uppermost point on a curve? Or, as I have proposed elsewhere, are NBA salaries like government pay grades, where some signings simply offer a better value than others?

The paradox of 2010 is, to say the least, unseemly. No one disputes the fact that James deserves gobs of cash, but there are rules to restrict this figure -- and prevent an all-out bidding war from breaking out. That's life for the league's absolute best players, but produces the artificial effect of squeezing out stars like Joe Johnson.

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Report: LeBron to Chicago ‘a Done Deal’

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:59:19 +0000

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Knicks, Raptors, Suns, NBA Rumors, NBA Free Agents

LeBron James has decided against going on a free agency tour of the five cities that have made his short list of places (along with Cleveland) where he'd like to play next season, and will instead hold those meetings at home. The reason for this change of plans could be due to the backlash from fans and media alike over the idea, or it could be that James simply would like to hold court in his own castle, and be treated like the NBA royalty that he has become.

Or, it could be something else entirely. Like the possibility that James may have already made his decision.

Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times is reporting that these meetings, which will begin on July 1, may be nothing more than a formality, since he has spoken to one anonymous NBA executive who believes that LeBron is heading to Chicago, along with another of the prized free agents of this summer, Toronto's Chris Bosh.

"I think it's a done deal," the executive told Abrams.

Share In other free agent news, the Knicks, who have gutted their roster in recent years in hopes of luring LeBron to NYC, aren't putting all of their eggs in King James' basket.

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Suns have options if Amare Stoudemire leaves

Tyler Lockman — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:33:54 +0000

For months now, Amare Stoudemire has put his chances of staying in Phoenix at “50-50.” We now know that he definitely won’t be picking up his player option for nearly $18 million...

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The Mini-Max Contract: Where 2010 All Began

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:29:18 +0000

by Bethlehem Shoals

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, Nets, Nuggets, Suns, NBA Rumors

No one likes the Free Agent Super-Summit, even those rumored to be involved. It may or may not be collusion, and on a good day, makes LeBron James and friends look like ardent disciples of Mikhail Prokhorov -- without the funny accent that charms out all into submission.

Certainly, the forced drama and posturing around the event, which may or may not have ever been meant literally, grate on even the most pro-player observers. And admittedly, there's a hill of difference between this summer and Jim Brown -- an avowed supporter of LeBron's hunt for fulfillment -- trying to get some basic dignity for himself and other NFL players. But silliness and bad public relations aside, there's an important middle ground missing here. It's the place where NBA players, all too long held hostage by incompetent organizations and the truism that heaven was six years at max money, risk stability for a chance at some leverage.

It's the mini-max effort of 2006, where James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh coordinated shorter deals exactly so their teams would have to do right by them (and so they could sneak in under the upcoming CBA). Was the goal solidarity down the road? Or just smart business they all suggested to each other? Either way, it was such a good idea that Chris Paul and Deron Williams followed suit two seasons later.

No longer could a superstar be paid off and taken for granted -- or, if you want to be glum about it, invested in heavily and find themselves an albatross down the road. This was a power-grab, but in a much-deserved way.

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Amar’e Stoudemire Proves He Isn’t Worth the Big Bucks

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:05:14 +0000

by Jordan Schultz

Filed under: Lakers, Suns, NBA All-Star Game, NBA Playoffs, The Bonus

He missed jump shot after jump shot, fading away time and time again. He refused to compete on the glass in the most pivotal game of his career. He complained to the refs on seemingly every errant shot attempt or ridiculous offensive foul. Amar'e Stoudemire -- in perhaps his last game as a Phoenix Sun -- disappeared into the Arizona desert before he could ever give his team a chance. How a player with his bevy of skills turned into something of a mannequin is almost inconceivable, but when you consider the script had been written long before, it is very understandable.

The Western Conference's starting power forward in the All-Star Game and three-time second-team All-NBA performer will surely command a massive, max-money-type payday this summer. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and maybe Chris Bosh aside, no player will see more interest and more dollar signs than Stoudemire entering free agency. Whether or not he remains in Phoenix is in doubt, but amidst the boo birds and bright lights, Stoudemire showed his true worth -- or lack thereof -- in Game 6 Saturday night.

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Amar’e Stoudemire Looks Ahead to Free Agency

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:04:09 +0000

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Suns, NBA Playoffs

PHOENIX -- Amar'e Stoudemire removed his Phoenix Suns jersey almost immediately after he and his teammates were eliminated from the postseason by the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. It would be somewhat of a leap to read anything into that gesture beyond what it was: a player trying to put a difficult loss behind him as quickly as possible.

But for Stoudemire, as we've heard incessantly for the past two seasons, there is much more to his reality.

Amar'e has a player option for the final year of his contract. If he chooses to take it, he'll earn roughly $17 million next season, and can become an unrestricted free agent in the far-less-crowded summer of 2011. But many believe Stoudemire won't wait that long, and will instead explore his options this summer -- either through an extension with his current team, or by signing a new deal somewhere else. And maybe that's true, which might have been the reason that Stoudemire candidly admitted afterward that he did indeed consider the fact that this game may have been his last as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

"It did, actually," Stoudemire said, when asked if that thought had crossed his mind. "It did. I didn't know how to feel. As I was walking out, I was thinking it could be my last time walking through this tunnel with the Suns uniform on. I've been here my whole career, so I definitely had that feeling. But there's a good possibility that I may be back."

Share There are two things that Stoudemire will weigh heavily as he ponders where to play next season, and in the seasons beyond. Despite all the talk about wanting to win a championship, first and foremost on the list is securing himself a max deal.

So far, the Suns haven't been willing to go quite that far. And it's unclear whether any other teams will step up and offer a guy who, despite his wealth of primarily offensive talents, clearly isn't on the level of a Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade, in terms of being someone who could carry a team to the promised land all by himself.

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Offseason of Bulls’ Delight Under Way

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:06:59 +0000

by Pat McManamon

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Heat, Jazz, Suns, NBA Playoffs, NBA Rumors, Chris Bosh

CLEVELAND -- What could be a whopper of an offseason for the Chicago Bulls started Tuesday night.

These next few months could see the jettisoning of a coach and the signing of a big-name free agent to fill some of the Bulls' $20-22 million in salary cap space. Chicago could be in prime position to add a talented player to go with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng - and that could make them a formidable team for the next few years.

LeBron James understands. Toward the end of his news conference following the Cavs' Game 5 victory Tuesday night, Sam Smith of Bulls.com (and Jordan Rules fame) tried to give James a knuckleball by asking if a free agent might be intrigued by joining Rose and Noah.

"You mean do I want to play with them?" James said, smiling. "I kind of figured (the question) was coming."

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FanHouse’s Official NBA Awards Ballots

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:37:04 +0000

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Bobcats, Bucks, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Warriors, NBA Awards, Thunder

The FanHouse votes are in.

FanHouse had two voters for official NBA awards in senior NBA writers Tim Povtak and Chris Tomasson. Here's how their ballots looked:

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