Getting mentioned in the NBA on TNT’s “Gone Fishin’” segment is the last thing a player wants. It means his team is out of the playoffs and that Kenny, Charles and EJ are gonna clown a photoshopped picture of the squad on a boat holding fish. It’s usually funny but the joke might be on TNT because NBA players love fishin’.

Carmelo Anthony picked up his rod and reel while on his honeymoon and now Amar’e Stoudemire, fresh off his trip to Israel, is doing some freshwater fishing in Montana.

Via @Amareisreal:

There are a couple of more pictures here. One thing that stands out is Amar’e isn’t big on touching his catch.

Amar’e Stoudemire lit up the Internet yesterday when he said he was “the new Reggie White” and “I’m going 2 Israel 2 study Hebrew. It’s time 2 get a better understanding on who we R.” Call me skeptical but I thought Stoudemire was trying to suck up to the world’s largest Jewish community outside of Israel. What better way to show a new fan base that you’re just like them than to embrace their culture. Next we’ll see David Lee on a bus in East Oakland claiming he’s black (Which I don’t recommend unless he’s rolling with EBM). Amar’e used @Amareisreal earlier today to straighten out why he’s in Israel and what he’s studying. Good for him, whatever his intentions are.

It’s very possible Stoudemire has Hebrew ties. Most African-Americans are mixed and whether it’s with Native Americans, Europeans or anybody else, you can’t tell just by looking at the person. Or his mom. Ask Charles Barkley and Snoop Dogg.

Free agent power forward Amar’e Stoudemire has come to terms on a five-year, $100 million deal to become a Knick. He could be the first piece in bringing a once proud franchise back to prominence, or he could be yet another blunder that keeps the Knicks on the outside looking in.

Offensively, Stoudemire is one the best big men in the NBA with the ability to score in the post, shoot from the perimeter and get to the free throw line. Without question, the Knicks are getting an incredibly gifted talent in his prime, but Stat won’t be anything close to a “King of New York”. He might be a great complement alongside a “King”, as in King James, but if he is counted on to shoulder the responsibility of making pro basketball in New York relevant once again, he will be a “royal” failure.

Signing Stoudemire with no commitment from LeBron James or Dwyane Wade was a serious roll of the dice by Knick management. In a best case scenario, James decides the Knicks have shown enough of a commitment to winning by signing Stoudemire and opts to become the center piece in their effort to re-join the NBA elite. In a worst case scenario, James teams with Bosh in Chicago and Wade remains in Miami with Boozer coming to join him on South Beach. The latter scenario would leave the Knicks scrambling to put together a trade for another superstar while facing the possibility of competing in a much tougher Eastern Conference.

Knick GM Donnie Walsh has done an admirable job of clearing cap space in his two years on the job. The Knicks have had high hopes for the summer of 2010 for quite some time, and Amar’e Stoudermire flying solo in New York was not what they had in mind. If they fail to bring in James or Wade via free agency, or a Tony Parker or Carmelo Anthony via trade to play alongside Stoudemire, this will be viewed as an Isiah Thomas like miscalculation in New York.

The Knicks were the first to make a big splash in free agency this season by nabbing Stoudemire, but they need to finish with a tidal wave in order for this off-season to be a true success.

–
Antwan Leonard

Antwan writes a Fantasy Sports Blog – H2H Fantasy Sports with the latest in Head-to-Head Fantasy Sports news.

Amar’e Stoudemire won’t be in a Phoenix Suns uniform this time next season because a team will overpay for his offense only, me-first game this summer. Some owner and GM will be lured in by Stoudemire highlights like him dunking on Portland’s Dante Cunningham. His skills qualify Amar’e as a piece of a championship team but his mindset is that he’s a franchise player. He’s wrong and so is the team that anchors their title hopes to him.

Amar’e Stoudemire dunks on Dante Cunningham:

Dante Cunningham says back at you big man:

Shane Battier is a tough and smart defender that’s not afraid to stand in and take a charge against anyone. That can get him into trouble. Case and point: Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire running a pick-and-roll for a dunk. Battier slides over on the rotation and then for some reason decided to jump with Amare.

Shane took the facial but that’s what’s dope about him. He’d jump 10 out of 10 times to try and block Amare’s shot. He’d get dunked on nine out of those 10 times but he’ll still go 100 percent.

This is the new pre-game introduction video for the Phoenix Suns. Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell were already residents of Planet Orange. The Big Aristotle Shaquille O’Neal is the new addition and he’s playing the role of Shaqzilla.

In two games with Phoenix, Shaq looks rejuvenated.. And a little out of place. That’s to be expected but the Suns coaching staff has to come up with a way to get Shaquille the ball where he’s comfortable. Having Shaq slip screens from the top of the key, catch the ball at the free throw line, and then make a move to the basket isn’t gonna work. Shaq can’t face the basket and shoot past 8 feet, and he can’t dribble. Mike D’Antoni has a beautiful mind for basketball offense, so they’ll get this problem solved.

It looks like the Suns have already been dipping into NFL playbooks when it comes to looking for an advantage over the competition. Phoenix isn’t secretly taping other teams, but they are doing what the Dallas Cowboys did to Jesse Palmer and the New York Giants.

Well done Phoenix. You earned that victory.

Photo courtesy of Andrew D. Bernstein NBAE/Getty Images

Tags: Phoenix Suns, Pregame Introductions, video, youtube, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is The Big Diesel on the court, so to get in the right frame of mind before the game, he drives this piece of crap pictured above to the arena. Shaq has reached the point of being so rich and having driven so many cars, that he needs something off the wall to make driving fun.. He’ll probably show up in a tractor next week..

During halftime of the Boston Celtics-Phoenix Suns game, Mark Jones said that Shaquille O’Neal had sold his Lamborghini to Amare Stoudemire. That could explain Shaq’s truck, but probably not.

Shaq downgraded from Lauren London to Mo’Nique.. The divorce proceedings must be taking a toll on Shaq’s pockets, or he saw a sucker when he unloaded the Lambo on Amare. Or more likely, a little of both. Yeah, a little of both…

Tags: Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix Suns, NBA, Amare Stoudemire, truck, pictures

It’s not out of the ordinary for the announcers for the home team to show bias or stick up for their guys. Phoenix Suns’ color man Eddie Johnson was doing the latter during the Hornets-Suns double ot thriller. He didn’t care for some comments made on television about Amare Stoudemire.

I heard a guy on tv, I think the Jim Rome show, he, I don’t know who he is, but I hope they fire him as a reporter. He said that Amare Stoudemire doesn’t have a 12 to 15 foot shot. I’m trying to figure out where did that guy watch games?

I don’t know who Jim’s forum guests are this week but damn.. Eddie Johnson’s gangsta. He wants a guy to be fired for saying Stat doesn’t have an outside shot.. It could be that, or it could be that Johnson is still holding a mini grudge against all things Jim Rome… As you might remember, Skip Bayless filled in for Romey on Jim Rome’s radio show and got Phoenix Suns broadcaster and former NBA player Eddie Johnson confused with former NBA player and little girl sexual assaulter Eddie Johnson. After that kind of mistake, Bayless and others are lucky the only shots Eddie Johnson is taking are verbal.

Tags: Eddie Johnson, NBA, Phoenix Suns, Skip Bayless, Jim Rome, Amare Stoudemire

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aP0gFs8ObA]

The next time there’s a near scrum in an NBA game the refs should make both teams line up facing each other at half court and have a rap battle. That way, the balance of a series isn’t jeopardized, and the fans get treated to some music other than YMCA or Gary Glitter.

The Phoenix Suns will be short-handed for game 5 but don’t be shocked if they rally together and pull off a stunner. With what we’ve seen so far in this series nothing would surprise me now.

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Game 4 between the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs was a classic. Great plays, comebacks, and a tussle… All of the things that make sports fun to watch. It’s really great to take in the action without being attached to either team. I don’t care who wins the series I just want great action and I haven’t been disappointed yet.. Well, that’s not exactly true.

I know this is a tired take, but the NBA officiating is not fantastic. Basketball is one of the hardest sports to ref, especially since the rules are pretty easy to comprehend by anyone watching, leading to people arguing over what is a foul and what isn’t. With that said, I found myself saying the league must have made “the call” to the refs at the start of the 4th quarter. San Antonio, the home team, couldn’t get a call. I’m not big into conspiracy theories but if the Spurs had went up 3-1, the Suns could have gone ahead and cancelled Christmas. With the league’s best story (the Warriors) already on the ropes, the NBA needs it’s favorite team the Phoenix Suns around for as long as possible. I thought I was alone in seeing the referee bias but True Hoop and the story Henry linked to felt the same way.

Another thing I’m disappointed with is all the whining that the Phoenix Suns’ fans are doing. I hate to say this but SHUT THE HELL UP. Jeezus. First, you want the NBA to change the rules so Steve Nash can have 4 hours to fix his bleeding nose. Thank God he didn’t break his leg because Suns fan would be asking the NBA to suspend the playoffs until Steve healed. Second, Amare and the Suns’ fans calling the Spurs dirty while Raja Bell still suits up for Phoenix is beyond funny. Yes, you can slow down some tape and show Bruce Bowen intentionally/unintentionally stepping on Amare’s heel. Yes, you can argue that Bowen kneed Nash in the nads on purpose, but you don’t need to slow down anything to see Bell’s clothesline of Kobe Bryant last year, a play dirtier than ANY violation in this year’s playoffs. Including Baron Davis’ Horry-like take-down of Derek Fisher.

Speaking of the Horry take-down.. I was pretty sure that the league would suspend Big Shot Rob for two games to balance out the fact that two Suns were getting suspended for game 5. I’m not glad that I was right, but I am somewhat familiar with how the league thinks. I would have been cool if Horry got a game and Amare got a game but Diaw was allowed to play. Boris did leave the bench but not with the same intensity as S.T.A.T. If Stoudemire had made his way to the melee, something bad might have happened. Boris probably would have done the baseball square dance. The NBA “leaving the bench” rule needs to be, and probably will be, examined at the end of the playoffs. As the rule stands, the NBA made the right decision. And before you say what about The Big Fundamental, I’ve seen the footage of Duncan stepping away from the bench but that’s not nearly the same thing. As a matter of fact, that happens all of the time. When you see a big play down the stretch in a tight game, watch the bench. Guys are jumping up and down and celebrating..Some of them spill onto the floor. Check out the bench when a team knows it’s about to call a timeout.. You’ll see a player or two wander out onto the floor. It’s not malicious. It doesn’t carry the same intent.

And finally I’m disappointed in everybody sweating Dirk Nowitzki for winning the NBA MVP award. Like I’ve said before, it’s a regular season award. Dirk was the man in the regular season. It’s strange that when Shaq (or Shaque Cousteau) said the NBA MVP award has been tainted lately, everybody jumped down his throat.. Claiming he said Steve Nash’s MVP’s are tainted when he clearly said the last 4 or 5 years. Some people even went as far as to call Shaq a racist. Now that Nash didn’t win, people are saying the award is meaningless, the voting is a joke, the voting should take place after the playoffs, blah blah blah… Enough already. Do people realize that if the MVP voting came after the playoffs, Steve Nash would have ZERO MVPs? Dwayne Wade would have won the MVP last year and Tim Duncan would have won the year before. Dirk was the best player on the best team in the regular season. The exact reason that Nash won the MVP his first year. I don’t care if Nash had a better statistical season this year than last year. The players aren’t competing against themselves for the award. Follow this example.. A man wins salesman of the year two consecutive years at his company. In the third year, he sells more than he did the first two years, but another employee sells more than him. Who’s gonna win salesman of the year? The other employee. It’s the exact same thing. Steve Nash not winning the MVP doesn’t take away from his status. There were years when Michael Jordan could/should have won the MVP and didn’t. It happens. Nash is a great player.. better than Nowitzki.. And I guarantee you, if Phoenix wins the championship Steve Nash won’t give a damn about his two MVPs or “the one that got away”.

NBA suspends Stoudemire, Diaw for leaving bench. Thank you ESPN

Phoenix Got the Calls. Thank you True Hoop (ESPN)

Oh, Why Not. Thank you Section F Sports

Shaq says recent MVP awards ‘tainted’. Thank you MSNBC

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