Amar'e Stoudemire ain't scared of no ghosts, if by "ghosts" you mean "the Miami Heat." 
Posted by Matt Moore

Fear is at once a powerful commodity in the NBA and something held out of the mouths of its participants. No player will admit they are afraid of the moment, of their coach, of failure, and especially not of another team. At the same time, it's got to be hard to find someone who isn't intimidated by the Boston Celtics, who doesn't cringe when trying to draw a charge on LeBron James, who doesn't quake when they realize Kobe Bryant has the ball in the closing seconds.  The mistake made by men is denying fear itself rather than acknowledging it and relying on their ability to overcome that fear. 

(You're going to have to forgive me, I've been reading "Band of Brothers" which makes failure in front of millions of people seem like a stroll through Candyland. )

Regardless, Amar'e Stoudemire is choosing the option of outright denial. From ESPN New York, and simply: 

"Nobodys afraid of the Miami Heat," Stoudemire said Wednesday afternoon.

via New York Knicks Amare Stoudemire says Nobodys afraid of the Miami Heat - ESPN New York.

Moving past the point that no one's really afraid of the New York Knicks either, is that this quote shows a few things:

• The league is still kind of rolling its eyes at the Heat, even after the huge win streak they had. 
• Stoudemire very much accepts his role as the leader of a major market, and will play the part. 
• Would Stoudemire say that anyone fears any team? It's pretty easy to see why teams would fear the Lakers or Celtics, but would anyone really admit it? After all, David Lee says he doesn't fear the Spurs, so clearly these guys have problems with identifying what to be scared of.
• The only thing the players are scared of? A lockout. But even that they're saying they're ready for. 

Without Bosh tonight, the Heat are going to be severely limited in attacking down low. Except that the Knicks are notorious for being weak inside, even with Stoudemire having a slightly better year in terms of weakside interior defense. But whoever wins down low, it'll be interesting to see if LeBron James gives Stoudemire something to be scared of.  Maybe the Heat should wear spooky masks or something. 

Denver Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony predicts an NBA lockout is coming "without a doubt." Posted by Ben Golliver. 

Early Tuesday, we noted a Sports Illustrated report which stated that Miami Heat forward LeBron James (perhaps jokingly) advised Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to team up with forward Amar'e Stoudemire on the New York Knicks, if Anthony was serious about competing against the Heat.

In a companion piece from Sports Illustrated, Anthony provides some insight into his decision-making progress, noting that "all my family is East -- back home" and stating that he is motivated to sign a contract extension this year because he strongly believes there will be a lockout next season.

Is there going to be a lockout? "Oh, without a doubt," [Anthony] said. "Without a doubt."

So that's another reason to sign the extension now, I said. 

"Exactly."

Many NBA players have expressed concern about the possibility of a lockout, but few have made their thoughts on the subject this plain. Only former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, now playing in China, has been this blunt and pessimistic, guaranteeing a few weeks ago that there would be a lockout and predicting that the players will "cave."

What's more, Anthony is the first star to publicly tie his thoughts on a league-wide lockout so directly to his personal contract situation. Anthony's statements align with his long-assumed positions -- he wants to play in New York, re-signing with Denver is not his top priority, and he will agree to an extension this season one way or another -- and, when taken in sum, reveal a very lucid, thoughtful and professional approach to a tough situation.

While the storm of negativity surrounding Anthony and all the trade talks will continue to blow until this situation reaches a resolution, Anthony's approach will almost certainly leave his long-term legacy in much better shape than that of James or Chris Bosh. Anthony comes across both as humane and human, and also authentic and honest. He's delivering tough news gently, rather than with a jackhammer. When we look back in a few years, that will count for something.

Posted by Royce Young

Carmelo Anthony spoke to Sports Illustrated recently for a piece that's set to be in this week's issue. And guess what Carmelo was asked about. Not his favorite winter accessory items, which is a shame because I really want to know.

Anthony said he talks to Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But Melo isn't letting their ways of doing things influence him, most specifically LeBron. Melo said, "I would never go about it the way LeBron did it. If he could do it all over again, he wouldn't do it that way-he would do it a totally different way, I can guarantee you that."

The most interesting part to me though, is what LeBron reportedly said to Carmelo at his wedding. A lot was made about Chris Paul's toast where he talked about coming to New York to form a big three with Melo and Amar'e Stoudemire, but there was another interesting thing said.

What has gone unreported is that the scene was set by James, who on his way into the wedding was jeered by New Yorkers for shunning the Knicks two nights earlier during the live telecast of The Decision. 'If you want any chance against us in Miami,' he joked to Anthony, 'you'd better team up with Stoud in New York.'"

That was most definitely a joke from LeBron, but I'm sure it's stuck in Carmelo's mind. Anthony has talked a lot about how he wants to win a title and is going to go where he feels he has that chance. Denver has been a good team the past five years and by all appearances, will continue to be good. But Carmelo doesn't feel like the Nuggets have the weapons to get over the edge. He probably feels like he needs another star next to him. Like Amar'e. So maybe that joke has hung with Melo during this.

Which makes you of course wonder about what New Jersey has to offer. There's no star there waiting to play alongside Carmelo. Just Brook Lopez. So when people say Melo would have to be sold on the Nets' plan, it kind of starts making more and more sense.

Melo reiterated the goals he has for himself again, saying that his main ambition is to win a championship. But interestingly, he has a few other things on his mind. The article says that Melo wants to "presumably improve his Q rating," move closer to home (he was born in Brooklyn and raised in Baltimore) and last but obviously not least, he wants to cash in big time. He was asked if it's important for him to sign the three-year $65 million extension before a potential July lockout and Anthony said, "That's my goal."

This man has a lot of goals.

Melo said he fully believes that he'll be traded by the Feb. 24 trade deadline. It looked like things were tilting for a deal to be done this week, but again, we might be watching the talk Heat up only to fizzle out. But Feb. 24 is just a little over a month away. Hang in there.

Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin set an NBA season record with 47 points against the Indiana Pacers. Posted by Ben Golliver.


Blake Griffin left the Los Angeles Lakers fighting mad on Sunday night, but on Monday the Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward rendered the Indiana Pacers utterly defenseless, pouring in an NBA season-high 47 points to go along with 14 rebounds, three assists and a block in 37 minutes.

Griffin shot an astonishing 19-24 from the field and got his buckets in every conceivable fashion, banking in jumpers, bulldozing his way into the paint, showing a soft touch on the glass, making nine of his 11 attempts from the charity stripe and just relentlessly punishing poor Jeff Foster and James Posey, who were powerless to stop his offensive assault.

No player has scored 47 or more points in an NBA regular season game since Vince Carter, then of the Orlando Magic, scored 48 points against the New Orleans Hornets on Feb. 8, 2010. Incredibly, it's the most points scored by a power forward or center dating back to Nov. 5, 2008, when Amar'e Stoudemire scored 49 points against the Indiana Pacers.

For Griffin, the performance will serve as the centerpiece for his All-Star candidacy which, honestly, shouldn't be in question. Griffin has increased his scoring, rebounding and assist numbers each month this season and is currently averaging an absurd 24.3 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in January. Check out this table of his monthly splits, courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. (Note: numbers do not include Monday's performance.)



Thanks largely to Griffin's increasing output, the Clippers as a whole are playing steadily better too, on pace to make January their first winning month of the season.

New York Knicks power forward Amar'e Stoudemire joined CBS's Late Show with David Letterman to discuss his detached retina and why he wears goggles. Posted by Ben Golliver.


New York Knicks power forward Amar'e Stoudemire joined CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday night. Here's a link to the video clip or scroll down to watch it below.

In a pre-released clip, Letterman asked Stoudemire about a detached retina which required surgery in 2009. 

"It was a play during training camp, I believe," Stoudemire said. "It was a contact play where one of my teammates poked me in the eye. I went to the doctor and he said I had to have an emergency procedure for a detached retina. And so, with that being said, I pretty much had to lay down on the table for 22 hours a day for 10 straight days in order to re-attach the retina. You can’t move at all, for 22 hours a day for 10 straight days."

Letterman asked Stoudemire how he passed that time, which drew a smile. "Honestly, it was torture," Stoudemire said. "It was extremely hard. I read a lot. I watched DVDs on my laptop. I just slowly passed the time on."

Asked if the injury made him fear for his career, Stoudemire said that it did. "Oh, no question. It was something that was extremely terrifying. Didn’t know if I was going to regain my full vision. Didn’t know about the future in the NBA or my career. But I was able to persevere." He later added that his vision, after the surgery, is "great. It's 20/20." This news, of course, drew applause.

Letterman then segued into a discussion of the protective goggles Stoudemire now wears to protect against another injury. " I played with Bo Outlaw back in my rookie year," Stoudemire remembered. "I used to make fun of him all the time. Like, ‘Yo, why are you wearing goggles? They’re not fashionable.’ But he said he got poked in the eye pretty bad one time and he never wanted to feel that feeling again, and it happened to me. So I figured since I have to wear them, it’s time to make these goggles fashionable."

Here's video of the exchange.

Is Avery the man? Did Amar'e tamper? Has Nash had enough? We ask these questions and more in today's Shootaround. 
Posted by Matt Moore

• Is Avery Johnson the man for the job in New Jersey? One of the biggest concerns has to be the regression of Brook Lopez. Mono or no mono, Lopez has taken a huge step back under Johnson, and as he's the cornerstone of the franchise, that's a giant red flag. Johnson was a solid pick for a playoff team, but he's not shown he has the ability to develop a young roster like one the Nets have. 

• Amar'e Stoudemire may have contacted Melo by text to try and clear him off  accepting the Nets' offer. If so that's at least dancing with tampering, and if it keeps up, the commissioner's office is going to step in, no matter, or perhaps due to how off-hands his office was with the Miami ordeal. 

• Carmelo Anthony keeps denying that he'll be traded anytime soon . Which is usually what players say when they're going to be traded soon. But the sentiment is nice. 

• Steve Nash isn't saying anything too abrupt , just the normal things you say after a bad loss in a series of bad losses. But this is how it starts. Disapproval for effort and chemistry. Little things.

• Vince Carter says he's not going to change the way he plays just because he may be playing for a contract. He says he's never done that. Which is true, unless he's been in contract years. 

• Carmelo Anthony and Rip Hamilton teach you English. 

• A report says the Maloofs have spoken with an Anaheim representative who would grant them a $100 million loan to move the team.

• Delonte West playing Karate Kid . 

• What would Dwight Howard fetch on the open market in Orlando's last resort?

• When Wesley Matthews has a bad night? That's a "death sentence" on the Blazers' victory hopes .

The New York Knicks reportedly covet Memphis Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol. Posted by Ben Golliver. 

The New Jersey Nets continue to dominate the Carmelo Anthony trade discussions, leaving the New York Knicks on the periphery, and one can help but wonder what New York's backup plans are, should the Nets finally succeed in landing Anthony. 

The Knicks will have plenty of cap room this summer, with less than $42 million in committed salary for 2011-2012. Given the desirability of the New York market, the team's success this season, coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo style and a solid, improving core surrounding 2010 free agent acquisition Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks are shaping up to be this year's standout free agent destination.

So, who are the Knicks eying, assuming Anthony isn't available?  
The New York Post reports it could be a big man to play alongside Stoudemire, rather than an elite scorer.

If the Nets pull off the blockbuster multi-team trade and Anthony accepts a contract extension, the Knicks are expected to change the focus of this offseason to restricted free agent 7-foot-1 center Marc Gasol. The younger brother of the Lakers' Pau, Gasol is the type of burly big man the roster lacks and team president Donnie Walsh covets.

The Knicks currently have a makeshift post group, with Ronny Turiaf and Timofey Mozgov getting burn in the middle, when they aren't opting to play small ball. Gasol is a dream target for the Knicks, not only because of his skillset but also because of his fit alongside Stoudemire, as he's shown the ability to be productive alongside a premier scoring power forward in Zach Randolph.

Gasol, a restricted free agent following this season, is averaging 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds this season, down slightly from his career highs of 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds last year. At 26, he's just entering the prime of his career, he's an efficient shooter and a solid rebounder, and he doesn't need an exorbitant number of touches to contribute on offense. Defensively, he's big, active and long, and much quicker than he was a few years ago, thanks to a sizable loss of weight. Even better, Gasol is a talented passer, able to make plays for his teammates from the block or further from the hoop. 

The question here is obviously one of availability. The Grizzlies have shown hesitancy in offering a contract extension to Randolph, and should he be traded or sign elsewhere the Grizzlies will have plenty of salary cap room and dollars to funnel to Gasol. The Grizzlies can't afford to see both Randolph and Gasol walk, as their only true remaining big man would be project center Hasheem Thabeet. In other words, Memphis will be extremely motivated to keep Gasol.

Gasol, however, has yet to make the playoffs and has watched his brother, Paul Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, make multiple runs at a title. Forcing his way out of Memphis for a bigger market and a better team would surely appeal to a player in his situation, but he's yet to show any indication that he'll take that approach. 

Whatever Gasol decides between now and this summer, one thing is for sure: he is set to get paid in a big-time way. 

Posted by Royce Young

• Carmelo Anthony scored a season-low eight points and was booed by his home fans Sunday. Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "Carmelo Anthony strolled into the Pepsi Center about an hour and 15 minutes before the game that could turn out to be his last -- or very close to his last -- in a Nuggets uniform. And there seemed to be a component of 'senioritis' to his game on a snowy Sunday night against New Orleans. On the bench, he was carefree. He bobbed his head to the music over the loudspeakers, and frolicked through a first half that was generally bad for his team. And on the court, the man who makes his living putting up shots and scoring in bunches took just two shots in the first half. The Nuggets lost this game 96-87 in front of 16,283 fans. But more than a game, for the first time it appeared the Nuggets lost the interest of their star as well. And when that became the perception, many in the crowd turned on the player, who they felt was thumbing his nose at them. Anthony was booed loudly in the fourth quarter when he entered the game on a substitution."

• Have you been following along with all the Carmelo developments. You should be. Ken Berger has about 200 updates on it.

• Mo Williams on Anderson Varejao being out for the season: "It's devastating. Obviously he's a big part of what we do offensively and especially defensively. It's a tough one to swallow. It's hard."

• Devin Ebanks has been called back up by the Lakers following Matt Barnes injury.

• Amar'e Stoudemire wants Carmelo, but he really doesn't want Carmelo.

• Did you know LeBron had a big game last night? Jason Quick of The Oregonian: "Blame it on Nike. Blame it on the Trail Blazers' defense. Or just blame it on greatness. For whatever reason, whenever LeBron James steps into the Rose Garden, he suddenly adds shooting prowess to his already vast array of talents. James, whose status as the world's greatest basketball player is debated perhaps only because of his suspect outside shooting, put on yet another shooting display at the Rose Garden on Sunday, scoring 44 points in leading Miami to a come-from-behind 107-100 overtime victory over the stunned Blazers. It was all part of the Blazers' game plan: Go under screens and prevent James from penetrating, in a sense daring James to shoot. And shoot he did, making 17 of 26, including 3 of 5 from three-point range, one starting the Heat's comeback from a 91-84 deficit with 1:39 left, and the final two in overtime, piercing daggers to a Blazers team that thought it had its ninth consecutive home win wrapped up in regulation."

• Otis Smith, admitting maybe he messed up.

• Houston's really struggling right now.

• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "That was the drabbest the Suns' locker room has been after a victory in some time. Appropriately, nobody was giddy about getting the first win of 2011 against Cleveland at home. There was not much of a good feeling about having to scrap to hand the NBA's worst team its 16th consecutive road loss."

• Jeff Green at power forward has been a topic of discussion among Thunder fans for a while. Well, how much is he holding back the team exactly?