Amare cruising past KG

It's been a while since we've last checked in on goings on...in short, my daughter is now 6 months old and would rather stand than crawl, I've moved to a new home, completed year one of the CS Lewis Fellowship program, and got accepted into law school, which will begin in the fall. Life can be sooo boring sometimes...

So to keep it saucy (and to take advantage of the free data ports and cable service that my new home provides) I've been indulging in something that I have not enjoyed for about 3 years- the NBA playoffs. Most of the games have been lacking, but we have also seen the emmergence of some next generation players. One in particular is Amare Stoudemire. His game is played with a surreal combination of enthusiasm and wreckless of a 22 year old and the control and rythm of a dancer. He is the evolutionary jump of a combination of the athleticism of Shawn Kemp and the grace of Hakeem Olajuwon. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him, even as his team the Phoenix Suns went down to the Spurs in 5.

Which brings me to my point. Two years ago, when Stephon Marbury was doing his thing in Phoenix, he made the comment that, having played with both Kevin Garnett and now Amare, that Amare is the superior talent. And I remember feeling all huffy thinking that Steph was just taking another jab at his more successful and future MVP ex-teammate. And even KG made light of it, saying that Steph was treating him like he was an ex-girlfriend- always on his mind, and that it wasn't right for him to bring the young fella into the squabble.

But now I'm thinking...Stephon was right. Now, I love KG- he's one of the things that is very right with the NBA. But despite being supremely talented, he's always lacked that certain something that makes a player transcendant. To compare, last year in the playoffs, while dispatching the Kings, KG should have averaged a 30-20 stat line. He only did it once in the deciding game 7. Amare, on the other hand, just finished averaging 37ppg against the best defensive center in the game, Tim Duncan. And Duncan recognized it too.

Want to look for a future MVP? Say hello to Amare.