Amare

Stoudemire

Stoudamire’s appearance on “Get Up” was his first interview since leaving the Nets at season’s end, and he did not mince words when asked about the impact that Irving’s absence (he was ineligible to play in home games for most of the season due to his being unvaccinated) had on team chemistry. “Yeah, I think it hurt us. It definitely hurt us because we didn’t have consistency enough with Kyrie to build chemistry with the group, with the team,” Stoudamire said in response to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. “He’s playing only away games depending which city it is ... can’t play in New York ... therefore we had different lineups, different matchups depending on the game schedule. So it made it difficult for us coaches to figure out who’s going to play in spite of Kyrie. So it was difficult for us to manage that so yeah, it was part of that.” Nets GM Sean Marks was non-committal when asked about Irving’s contract status on Wednesday, adding that the team needs “people here that want to be here.” Whether or not Irving receives the extension that he’s expecting will depend upon that availability question, as the Nets can ill-afford to go through another season like this one given the current construction of the team’s roster.

The six-time All Star has been out of the NBA since the 2015-16 season and has been playing overseas since. This is an exciting hire for Brooklyn and we know the chemistry between Nash and Amare will be on point based on their on-court success together in Phoenix. Amare’s focus in Brooklyn will be on player development, and Shams Charania of The Athletic notes that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will obviously be looking to duplicate the lethal pick-and-roll combo that Nash and Amare were known for.

The Israeli sports site One.co reports that it’s “a matter of time” before Stoudemire officially inks his new deal. He worked out for NBA teams as recently as July of last summer, but at this point he’ll assuredly conclude his playing days overseas.

Stoudemire averaged 30.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists as the Suns went 3-0. He’s exceptional.

In four wins, Amare averaged 34.5 points (on 63 percent shooting) and 9.3 rebounds. He’ll get MVP votes if he keeps playing like this and the Suns keep winning.

Phoenix was 19th in blocks last season. They’ve gone from 4.67 blocks per game in 2003-04 to a 6.5 average now. Just another reminder that height isn’t as important as athleticism and talent, and Shawn Marion & Amare Stoudemire have both.

''I thought he looked pretty good for his first time running,’' Suns coach Frank Johnson said. ''I know he was anxious to get out there.’' Stoudemire should be close to 100 percent for the start of camp.

“I broke my first sweat,” Stoudemire said. He’s expected to miss at least two more weeks.

Stoudemire is still at least two weeks away from returning.

The Suns are currently hoping to have Stoudemire and Zarko Cabarkapa back around Jan. 13.