Amare: I'm 'No Doubt' Better Than Bosh

Despite being limited to 53 games last season because of a detached retina that required surgery, Amar'e Stoudemire is not lacking confidence nor is he limiting his future to Phoenix. The Suns' big man was on ESPN 1050 in New York on Friday and said emphatically that he is a better player than Toronto's Chris Bosh, probably the player he is compared with the most.

"Are you kidding me? Ask Chris Bosh that question," Stoudemire told ESPN 1050's Brandon Tierney. "No doubt about it."

Stoudemire, who is averaging 21.1 points and 8.9 rebounds over his six-plus year career (he missed all but three games of the 2005-06 season after knee surgery), can get out of his contract following the 2010 season. Stoudemire could join perhaps the greatest free-agent class in league history if LeBron James, Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd opt out of their contracts and are on the market.

Stoudemire made it clear he is unhappy with the lack of improvement in Phoenix and would consider the New York Knicks in 2010. The Knicks, as if you didn't know, are led by Stoudemire's former coach, Mike D'Antoni.

"I definitely want to move toward a championship," he said. "The most important thing in my eyes is to win a title. I'm not seeing the improvement but hopefully we can get back in the right track in Phoenix and make it happen."

When asked if he thinks about New York as a possible free-agent destination, he said. "Well I think coach D'Antoni is doing a phenomenal job with the Knicks right now and New York is a great city, so I watch them closely."

Tierney then asked Stoudemire if he would seriously consider the Knicks.

"I would be totally serious about that," the four-time All-Star said. "First of all, I spend a lot of my childhood years living in (upstate) New York so I have a connection with the state. And also coach D'Antoni, I love the coaching staff with coach D'Antoni. I have a great friendship and relationship with them. And also the city itself, New York the city is so cold (nice) you got to name it twice."

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-30-2009 @ 1:57PM

al said...

of course hes better. Bosh is jump shooting power forward with some decent post moves. Amare is an athletic freak and can go on huge emphatic offensive stretches with momentum changing plays and put that in Mike D's run and gun system and the Knicks will start looking decent again. DO NOT BRING BOSH TO NEW YORK!!!

5-30-2009 @ 2:09PM

Martin said...

Neither D'Antoni nor Stoudemire think about defense so it would be a perfect match.

5-30-2009 @ 4:48PM

d57fan said...

Bosh THINKS about defense...he's just not so good at DOING anything about it....

5-30-2009 @ 5:56PM

vandervoorts said...

Please come to cleveland, I persoanlly will contribute to your salary

5-31-2009 @ 1:59AM

Skrying said...

You know how to prove Amare isn't as good as Bosh? Because Amare thinks he could actually win a championship being coached by D'Antoni.

6-01-2009 @ 11:45PM

zeke123 said...

Amare 21.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg
on what was the most prolific offense in a long time AND playing with Steve effing Nash.

Bosh 19.6ppg 9.2 rpg on a horrible franchise with bad management, terrible players (Rasho was the best frontline mate he ever had) and learning from cancers like Wince Carter and Jalen Rose.

They are different styles of players so im not gonna compare strenghts and weaknesses but
Bosh has been a model player and has grown into a leader while Amare is a walking soap opera.
In terms of maturity, theyre not even close.

Considering how blessed Amare has been playing with the high flying Suns and unlucky Bosh has been getting stuck in Toronto, I wouldnt crow about how good I am.

With Bosh's nice shooting touch, I think he would have probably had a higher PPG than Amare.
Had it been the other way around, Amare would have probably ballooned a la Shawn Kemp in Toronto and have been out of the league by now.

The only guy who had it worse was KG in Minny.

Bosh isnt really a franchise player but he can be a piece of the puzzle like Pau Gasol is in LA.

6-01-2009 @ 11:50PM

Giles said...

If Stoudamire seriously wants to freeze his over hyped male, um, what was the word Barkley used, lots of folks seem to think he should set our linguistic and moral standards, to the nba`s over hyped Siberia, to join their transvestite mayor on Saturday Night Live, let him GO to the WNBA Knicks. If he doesn`t have sense enough to prefer the sun belt winters he already enjoys, he won`t have sense enough to win championships either. Few Knicks have. Only Jerry Lucas, Dave DeBushere, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, etc., and those rare times Willis Reed wasn`t out injured, him, have won with the Knicks. They aren`t much better than the Clippers! If Bosh joins the Knicks, it will presemably be at small forward, which may be his best position. Hopefully James has more than enough sense to merely bid up the price of his services by flirting with New York. If James leaves, hopefully he`ll have the sense to head INTO, not OUT OF, the Sun Belt, though being from Ohio, sentiment might dictate him staying near family and friends, which would also make sense, in Cleveland, or if another nba team went to Columbus or Cincinatti, maybe there. It maybe seem shocking, since there are no major league teams in Columbus now, but it actually might not be all that bad an nba market. Unlike most northern cities, it is growing by double figures. Maybe the Miklwaukee Bucks will move there? Or if an nba team went to PittsBurgh, maybe there. But Bosh would be leaving Toronto, which is even colder than New York, so would make sense. But anyone thinking Stoudamire or Bosh would guarantee a playoff spot, much less a championship, better take a look at the records this season of the teams they are on now. They are losers.

6-04-2009 @ 12:10PM

Rich Cantwell said...

In my opinion Stoudemire is much better than Bosh. I can't think of one phase of the game that Bosh is better at. I think Bosh is over-rated (mostly by AOL, knowledgeable fans know better). What's with all the anti-New York stuff I see in your very lenghthy posts. What did our city do to you exactly? It's hard to tell what team you are a fan of as you don't seem to like any.

6-04-2009 @ 12:29PM

Giles, what exactly did NYC ever do to you? Yes, most Knick fans would love to have Amare on our team. D'Antoni, unfortunately, we are stuck with for now. Bosh...most of my fellow Knick fans know, is not the guy to build with or around. He is over-rated and softer than Alan Houston. Many of your very lengthy post are filled w/hate of NYC, what's up w/that? Hard to tell what team you are a fan of as you seem to bash all. Over-analyzing is cool, but commit.

6-04-2009 @ 5:28PM

I don`t hate the New York fans, just the cold winters and the hype. I don`t even fault New York for its vaunted crime rate, every town has crime. The are 28 other teams James, Bosh, and Stoudamire could go to. But the hype isn`t centered in them, it is centered in New York. The people of New York are no better or worse than anyone anywhere else. Which to me, means they are basically good folks. And yeah, whether it is cool, as you say, or not, over analyzing and over shooting my mouth and typewriter off are part of what makes me me, and my family, us. It may be a failing, but it is usually a thoughtful failing. Not so with the NY bashing, that is just exasperation at all the hype, not thoughtful on my part at all. Sorry if it dismays you. It`ll probably happen again, but I`ll try to cut it out. The overly lengthy posts, I`m afraid, will probably continue, mainly about basketball, hopefully fair. And I do genuinely hope the Nets and Knicks get better. And I have mentioned hoping the Kings go to Brooklyn, and are replaced by an expansion team in Sacramento. So it really isn`t NYC that bothers me, just mainly the hype and the winter.

6-05-2009 @ 12:42AM

Speaking of the frigid northeast, why isn`t Jim Luscutoff in the Hall of Fame? He is the only starter from the late `50s, early `60s championship Celtics not. And several reserve guards made the Hall, 6`4, Sam Jones, 6`3 Frank Ramsey, KC (not first and middle name) Jones are in, but not Jungle Jim? Shows how the game has changed, too. You`d think as an alleged hatchet man he`d have been 7`5, 320, but he was only 6`6, 220. Stoudamire and Marion would be a better fit for the Knicks because they have already played for the coach, but they couldn`t win the championship with the mvp, Nash, and won`t win with NYC either. Nor will Bosh, who is a good swing forward, better suit to quick forward on a set up team than power forward in the kind of running game the coach prefers. Actually, I liked all the teams, even this year`s most hapless, the Kings. They started as the Rochester Royals, and would be perfect for Kings county New York if they ever get a quality set of players. New York City deserves more teams in more counties, though it doesn`t deserve all the hype it gives itself.