Amare Stoudamire dunk on Dante Cunningham of Blazers

The debate is on after the latest Amare Stoudamire vicious dunk just a few nights ago. Was that the dunk of the year, and possibly the dunk of Amare's career? Here's yet another Amare Stoudamire throwdown from this season. The Amare Stoudamire dunk on Dante Cunningham of the Trailblazers is pretty fierce in and of itself, but personally, I think his dunk on Anthony Tolliver of the Warriors several nights ago takes the prize. You decide based on the video below and here!



Recently, the Phoenix Suns website put up a poll asking fans to vote on their favorite WWE wrestler - NBA player nickname. They call him Amare "The Giant" Stoudamire. We've always known Stoudamire to be one powerhouse of a player but these recent throwdowns and vicious jams make you wonder if he's channeling some negative energy after not being traded to a different team this season? As fans of basketball, we sure don't mind seeing Amare posterize opponent after opponent!

Which do you like better the Amare Stoudamire dunk on Dante Cunningham or Amare's dunk on Anthony Tolliver?

Cavs get Jamison & Celts Knicks Nate Robinson trade

Two teams who made moves on Wednesday were the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston's move which was rumored earlier Wednesday afternoon has the Celtics sending Eddie House to the New York Knicks in exchange for the 2010 Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers didn't get Ama're Stoudemire as they'd initially hoped, but most likely got the second best option available in terms of a versatile power forward, with Antawn Jamison. The Jamison trade is a 3-team affair which involves the LA Clippers in addition to the Cavs and Wizards.

For the Antawn Jamison deal, Cleveland will also pick up guard Sebastian Telfair. The Clippers get Drew Gooden, while the Wizards receive Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and a Cavs first-round pick.

The Celtics trade is a bit peculiar as Boston is looking to be a serious competitor in the 2010 Playoffs and return to their glory of two years ago with a trip to the Finals. Eddie House was an integral part in their championship team providing scoring ability from off the bench. It's possible the trade for Robinson could be part of a multi-team deal which also involves Ray Allen or other members of the team. The Wizards appear to be in complete rebuild mode now after trading away Caron Butler to the Dallas Mavericks and now Antawn Jamison. Their only legit superstar remaining is Gilbert Arenas who is currently suspended for the remainder of the season due to the gunplay incident involving teammate Javaris Crittendon. It's questionable if the Wizards will hold onto Arenas following his suspensions or seek to free up more salary space.

With the NBA trade deadline looming for Thursday, Ama're Stoudemire is still the big name out there that several teams are looking to acquire. Stay tuned!

How the West Won: 146-119 All-Star Game Blowout

(It's a man, it's a mime, it's Shaq-Fu!)

Welcome back, Shaq and Kobe...The dynamic duo teamed up for the first time since their LA Laker days of old glory to lead the West to a big blowout win in the 58th annual NBA All-Star Game Sunday Night. It was the West pounding the East by a final score of 146-119 as the stars came out to shine in Phoenix. Looking on from the crowd were the likes of Chris Tucker, Ludacris, Jay-Z & Beyone, Senator John McCain and his wife, and boxing legend, Muhammad Ali.

Prior to the actual game were the always colorful introductions. In the past we've seen Yao and his starting mates do breakdance moves. This year, Shaq decided to get introduced in grand fashion as he emerged onto the stage wearing his very own white mask (ala Michael Meyers), then proceeded to break it on down with the hip-hop dance group, Jabbawockeez. All that was missing were Shaq's fellow hip hop friends Fu-Schnickens for a surprise rap reunion on stage. Nonetheless, Kobe must have been smiling ear to ear, happy that Shaq wasn't delivering yet another freestyle rap in his direction, and that the two were on the floor together again as teammates. According to NBA.com's game recap there was little interaction between the two, but they claim they've patched things up.

Kobe seemed on a mission early on, as the commentators mentioned he took about 11 or so shot attempts in the first quarter. Then again, the West was coached by his good pal and current coach, Phil Jackson who had no problem leaving his star on the court. Bryant scored a game high 27 while Shaq added 17 to help the West dominate. The two former Lakers alum shared the MVP award honors after the game. Hometown star, Amare Stoudamire chipped in 19 for a West team that avenged its loss against the East last year in New Orleans. The East was lead by posterchild Lebron James' 20, followed by 18 a piece from Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce. Several newcomers to the game saw action and their first stats in the game, including Devin Harris, Danny Granger and Mo Williams.

The glaring difference amongst the two teams which seems to have plagued the East in the past was the Eastern Conference's lack of size. Even though the East had lead vote-getter and Superman, Dwight Howard on its starting lineup alongside KG, that's where their size ended. The bench held no real help as Chris Bosh was injured, and all that remained were the likes of Danny Granger, Rashard Lewis and Paul Pierce, none of whom really size up with guys like Paul Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki or David West. Note to the NBA coaches and Commish Stern: Try to have some parity in the game before lineups are finalized. It was nice to see Ray Allen get the nod when Jameer Nelson was unable to play due to injury, but the West had several guys capable of playing the PF or C position. The West took control of the boards, outrebounding the East 51-38, once again proving, size matters. So let's make it mandatory that each team must have 2 centers and 2 power forwards on the bench, no matter what. The East has a few of those right?

See the Full game recap and the full boxscore for the All-Star game here.

Knicks Clean House for James?

st days ago, the NY Times discussed the courting of Lebron James as he made his stops to play against the Nets and Knicks. It was discussed that even though Lebron is friends with Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets, that their move to Brooklyn was delayed, which would be a deal-buster. Today the Knicks did some serious house-cleaning which analysts believe could be the start of bringing a star like Lebron James to Madison Square Garden.

In today's moves, the Knicks offloaded star players Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford. Power forward Randolph, along with guard Mardy Collins, was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas while guard Crawford was exchanged for Golden State Warriors forward Al Harrington. Crawford and Randolph were the Knicks two top scorers. That leaves Marbury, who hasn't played all season. He was cleared to play, but declined to. In an interview later, coach Mike D'Antoni told the media that he sat with Marbury and told him with Crawford gone he had 30-35 minutes if he wanted them. Marbury said he was told the team was going in a different direction without him, and that's it. The moves today are in anticipation of the hot free agent market in 2010, so NY may have to wait even more.

So does this spell LEBRON for NYC? If not James, there's also the possibilities of a Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudamire, or Chris Bosh being available to the team that needs to really appease its fans right now. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN believes that Knicks fans will receive two of the aforementioned talents, with Jalen Rose speculating it will be the Lebron-Bosh show in NYC>

Read more about the Knicks trades here.

Amare from Downtown

Amare doesn't just dazzle and dunk out on the hardwood, he also is quite the businessman as well. Stoudemire's Downtown is the name of a casual sports fan's restaurant co-owned by the Suns' superstar. According to an NBA TV video, Stoudamire partnered up with a business mind, Bill Smith and opened the place up, complete with flat screen TV's, pool tables, fully stocked bar, chef specialtys and even a few DJ's who come in a few times a week.

"The Statini" is aptly named after Stoudamire, aka "STAT". Statini features Amare's signature cocktail and toast with the superstars. Celebrity guests who've stopped by the restaraunt have included Rick Reilly (Sports Ilustrated) and Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former Suns shooting star, Dan Majerle had his own restaurant in Phoenix as well, Majerle's Sports Grill. This may be the sign that a Phoenix Suns player bas become a superstar in Arizona, with Amare becoming the latest restaurant mogul. See more info about Stoudemire's Downtown at the official website.

Amare: Video Game Cover

Amare Stoudamire will be gracing the cover of "NBA 08" for the Sony Playstation 3 and PSP, coming this fall.

From worthplaying.com:

"Stoudemire, the cover athlete for NBA '06, is making a triumphant return to the PlayStation family after his strong effort within the Suns' lineup this past season. Overcoming micro-fracture surgery that limited him to three games during the entire 2005-06 season, Stoudemire took the NBA by storm in the 2006-07 season and helped the Suns advance to the Western Conference Semi- Finals. Stoudemire finished this past season with an average of 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game while earning All-NBA First Team honors and a second All-Star appearance.

Despite not playing basketball until he was 14 years old, Stoudemire quickly excelled at the game. As the only high school player selected in the 2002 NBA draft, Stoudemire was taken ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns and soon made a name for himself, averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a rookie. He went on to be selected as a member of the U.S.A. Basketball Men's Senior National Team that participated in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

"Amare Stoudemire is one of the most dynamic players in the NBA, showcasing a range of power and finesse that makes him a favorite among the fans and a respected competitor among his peers," said Scott Rohde, director, sports product development, SCEA. "We are elated that he has renewed his partnership with us and believe that with Amare back on our team, NBA '08 will once again raise the bar for the franchise."

Check out the full NBA 08 video game story here, along with information on the new features in the game this time around.