http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2009/2/11/75701…

The problem with his defense or rebounding is not that they are low in absolut terms, the problem is that Amare is UNDERACHIVING in these matters.

He could rebound more and he could defend better, but he doesn’t, simply because of his ego or his pose. And I wouldn’t pay big money for a guy who doesn’t do more than one thing well on the court. If he scores a 60 ppg, that would be ok, but, of course this is not the case.

Once again: I think he’s not a good defender, not a good passer, not a good rebounder, not a leader, not a clutch player and not a franchise player. He is an awesome ofensive player and a huge athlete. But doesn’t matter what are your weapons if you are not willing to use them.

As a side note, Sarver is possibly the worst owner in the NBA. Kerr may be the worst GM, but it’s hard to tell, because Sarver could have been the one pushing these trades. One year ago the Suns had the best record in the league, now they’re about to be in rebuilding mode while having one of the oldest rosters in the NBA. Of course the logical thing to do is trade away our best young player…

that said, the suns have to trade amare if they want a chip. it’s unfortunate no one in phoenix realized this before now, when his numbers don’t make him so desirable to the rest of the league.

amare is an albatross. he is the kind of player that lights up the scoreboard and sells tickets, but he also demands a max contract and doesn’t play team ball or defense.

because of his contract and his constant need to be recognized as the best player on his team, he will do more harm than good on any team he plays for.

to me, one play from a game this week sums up amare’s defense and willingness to be accountable for his mistakes:

i don’t remember which game it was, but amare inbounded the ball at the suns baseline, and his pass was promptly stolen by the man in front of him. instead of bodying up and blocking an easy path to the basket, he stood in one spot as the opposing player merely dribbled past him for a layup.

sure, he stuck a hand out, and that probably means something to him. he is an uncoachable prima donna who will never, ever, bring his team a ring.

Michael, those plus minus fugures are affected by the quality of the player that comes in for him.

In 07 Boris Diaw was the ‘third’ big (if you consider the Marion/Shaq tandem to occupy one position)
In 06 Kurt Thomas was the third guy (and Diaw 4th)
In 05 it doesn’t matter, cause he was injured
In 04 they had Stephen Hunter as the third big man.

So the ‘abberation’ of Amare’s plus-minus being so flat in 06/06 is I think a sign that Kurt Thomas was a much higher quality player than they have had in other seasons, so that the big-man dropoff isn’t so steep when Amare goes to the bench.