To answer the orignal poster question. Is Amare an All-star? The answer is No. Did anyone see Amare's name anywhere in the 2nd round of all-star votes result? On the other hand, Yao Ming is going to start all-star this year.
Did anyone see Shawn Marion's name in there? No, but he will more than likely be an allstar. Robert Horry is there but he won't be one.
KG, Duncan, Dirk, Webber, Brand/Wallace/Malone. No more room for your Marion and Stoudemire mate. Get over it.
Marbury will most likely never make the All Star game and has some serious issues... He's just making dumb statements. Yao and Stoudamire don't play the same position, so it's absurd to say if Yao makes the ASG, then so should his boy... The Suns escaped with a 1 point win last time Rockets played them in Pheonix. Wait until they come to Houston and get their asses kicked back to the desert, like in the good Mario Elie days...
Martin is such a fierce 1on1 defender that he doesn't bother with rebounding. He doesn't need to playing with Kidd, Jefferson, Mutombo/Collins, and Williams.
Marbury made the allstar team already. Marion is a lock to make it over Brand , Wallace or Malone this year. Brand's team is way underachieving and neither Wallace or Malone are as good as Marion.
[He's just making dumb statements. Yao and Stoudamire don't play the same position, so it's absurd to say if Yao makes the ASG, then so should his boy[/B][/QUOTE] I agree. It's like comparing a giraffe to an ant. You figure out which one is the giraffe.... (sorry I posted twice)
slin slin,, shut up,, anyways,, marbury is stupid,, "if yao makes the all star game amare should too, it's not even close????? " hehe, that's a real dumb statement..
hmm...Arnel. And you're smart! Amare can be an All Star. But he's not. He kinda blossomed too late. Happy New Year!
Amare might want to learn how to actually shoot the rock before he is even remotely considered an all star. Let's see, 3 Amare highlights, all 3 were DUNKS. I'll give you he has an NBA body, but do you really expect him to fare as well his 2nd time around the league, considering you can frustrate him by making him shoot from the perimeter. Yao on the other hand, is very good at shooting, can block shots, and is very athletic for his size. Is he as athletic as Amare, no way, but who has the better overall game.... The answer is Yao. And this is why Yao deserves to be mentioned in All Star talk and Amare as a nice young player but who needs to develop more than dunking as a means of scoring, even if he does have a good NBA body because teams will force him to beat them over the top the 2nd time around.
I like Amare but that Mulbury talks way too much trash about Yao, I never seen so much hating. And the things he says doesn't even sound reasonable. Like what I don't get is how can Amare be a PF All star when he's only avg 12 pts and 8 rebs which is great for a rookie but theres like 7-8 other PF in the west that are avg. at least 18 pts and 8 rebs and 4 of them are avg more than 21 pts and 10 rebs. Amare has a better chance of getting in at C for the All star game but even there he'd come in at 4th or 5th. Besides how many players can you have on the westside of the All star game?
Amare Stoudamire is a very impressive looking player, however when you compare him to Yao it is easy to just look at the stats and say that they are performing at similar levels. It is upon actually watching them play when you see that they are completely different players. Stoudamire is a extremely athletic player similar to the likes of a young Shawn Kemp or Antonio McDyess. He has the potential to be an all-star performer for years to come. He currently relys his sheer athleticism to do what he is doing. He is not a polished player yet, and may never be. Yao on the other hand, has the potential to be one of the great centers in the NBA. When you are 7'6", 295 pounds with the shooting touch, passing ability, basketball IQ and not to mention the willingness to be a team player and strong work ethic, he will have a far more profound impact on the NBA than Stoudamire. Yao is the player who will not only be great himself but also has the special ability to make his teammates better. I think when you compare the two players avoid being misled by the statistics.
kama, Welcome to the board. Excellent points and overall post. There is no doubt that Amare is nowhere near the polished overall player than Yao is.
I have to agree. Well, said... Some players have gifts of athletic ability. Amare is a "man-child" just like Kemp. And he's riding that God given athletic ability right now. But, you watch. As time goes on, teams will say, "Oh, ok. You're the All-Start huh? We'll see. How about we send some scouts to all your games and write down ever single tendency. What you like, what do you don't like. What direction you like to spin, what direction you hate to spin. What hand you like to shoot with. How do you do at the free-throw line in the 1st quarter and how do you do at the free-throw line in the 4th quarter. Can you pass? Can you hit the 18-ft jump shot? Do you know the jump-hook? Can you dribble the ball under pressure? All your weaknesses... Then, we'll bring back these notes, compare them with other scouting reports from other coaches, analyze them for weeks, find weaknesses in your game and then apply that to the game plans." Sooner or later, those "scouting reports" are out for all teams. And Amare, who is a gifted athlete, wont find it easy to score as much because he's being double teamed all the fricken time. "What are you going to do know Amare? Show us your brilliant "passing skills?" Slinslin made the comment: " Every team scouts every team to find ways to stop them. Other teams are not ignoring Amare because they don't scout him or anything like that. He is averaging 15 and 10 for a month now and is regularly getting special treatment. Double teams, players who try everything to get him out of the game like Lorenzen Wright throwing a punch or wanting to posterize the hs kid. " This is utter crap. Define "special treatment" and "every team scouts every team." Do you live in a back and white world? It's not that cut and dry. I mean, do you know the difference between good, better and best? To you, they are all the same thing. This is the same example you give when you say that "every team scouts every team." Yeah, and? There are different degrees of being scouted. Some are general. Some are more intense. And when the "word" is out on how to guard this guy and take away his strong points, he WILL STRUGGLE. I've seen it time and time again. Hakeem had this done to him every year. Yao will get it too. It's how they adjust that makes them great. This is where Yao stands out from the crowd. This is why all those hours in the gym will pay off for Yao. He can score, defend and pass many ways. He's not one-dimensional. All Yao has to do it work on his physical aspect of his game. Amare has to go back to school to learn how to shoot free-throws and pass. Those skills are not easily learned. Ask Francis. Grant Hill had a great rookie season dunking all the time. Then, the coaches and scouts realized the guy didn't have an outside shot. Down Hill from there.... (pun not intended). Amare. You better develop an outside shot and some passing skills. Because all those dunks wont help you in the play-offs. And guess what happens to dunkers like you when they are forced to pass? Frustration, that's what!!! As you can tell. I dislike dunkers. And I dislike specialized players that "think they are the man." They always get burned when they are put in leadership positions. Amare would be a great fit for the Rockets: AS A ROLE PLAYER. Same as Elton Brand would be for us. But, not as a "main man." But, a third option. Shawn Marrion is better in my opinion.
