Amar’e Stoudemire is one of the names most frequently thrown around in trade rumors and speculation these days, and it might be getting under his skin a bit. Here’s what Stoudemire had to say about how the recent trade chatter has affected him (Arizona Republic):
“I feel like the confidence in me is not quite there with them, for them to want to shop me around so much…It’s the nature of the beast. It’s the way the business has always been played. I really try not to be too involved in it. I let the front office handle it with my agent, and the decision is made from there.”
Back when Memphis traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a box of Red Vines and a car wash certificate, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich deemed the trade to be “beyond comprehension.” Given the Grizzlies recent success and obvious ascent to relevance, Popovich has changed his tune (The Commercial Appeal):
“They gave up a great player but it helped them extend the franchise’s success into the future. It’s shown that they’ve done a good job. Whatever they were thinking a couple of iterations ahead at the time has paid off for them.”
With Carlos Boozer out of last night’s game against the Kings with a strained calf muscle, the Jazz turned to their trusty backup Paul Millsap. Last year he was a solid 20-10 guy as a starter, but he went OFF last night against the kings – dropping a 32 point, 14 rebound and 7 assist effort. Needless to say, Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans was impressed (Salt Lake Tribune)
“He can be a starter anywhere on anybody’s team…He pretty much looked like Boozer . . . probably a little better. He was playing together, passing, getting and-1s and he did it all game. He was there to win tonight. He did a good job.”
This year’s All-Star game will likely be a bit more dull without Shaquille O’Neal in the game. O’Neal, a 15-time All-Star, was less dissappointed for himself than he was for others who missed the cut (Newsday):
“I’m more disappointed in a guy like David Lee. I was on the great end of the bureaucracy. Now I’m on the other end of the bureaucracy.”
