Amare Needs a Break...Let the Speculation Begin

The latest from USA Basketball and Jerry Colangelo is that Amare Stoudemire will NOT be a part of this year's Olympic team. Sayeth the great Colangelo:

"Amaré has pulled himself out of consideration for the roster and that's predicated on, despite the fact that he's had an injury-free year coming back (from knee surgeries in 2005 and 2006), he's a little hesitant on pushing the envelope too hard."

Here's what's going through my head after reading the article:

1 - Amare being concerned with the health of his knee is never a good thing. In fact, it's downright scary. He is the most important player on the team and one of the dominant forces in the league. Seeing his name and his knee in the same sentence together makes me cringe. I'll be sleeping with the light on tonight.

2 - Mike D'Antoni is Coach K's assistant on the Olympic squad. Is it possible that Amare is so petty and self-absorbed he can't coexist with his former coach for a couple of months? A coach who, don't forget, turned him loose on the league and allowed him to develop freely but without accountability?

We all remember Amare's comments regarding Coach D upon his switch to the Knicks and after the Suns unceremonious exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Spurs. He didn't exactly give a glowing endorsement of the man's ability to coach.

If this line of thinking is to be bought into, it only brings up more questions regarding Amare's time with the Suns. Is he, and he alone, the "chemistry issue" we so often heard about this last year or so? Will his unhappiness with the way things ended against the Spurs in the playoffs (Boris Diaw being the focal point of the offense) extend into next year? And if that's the case, will Diaw's role become smaller once again or will he be part of a pre-draft trade? How many questions can I as in one post? Is anyone listening to me?

3 - As Coro stated in his article, Amare is up for a contract extension next summer. You can't blame a guy for wanting to get paid but being part of a team that is hell-bent on bringing home a long overdue gold medal would be a pretty special experience. His decision to not be a part of the team despite being guaranteed a spot only further raises questions of his motives and if they're team-oriented or selfish in nature.

Notice that he does not mention his team at any point here:

"That's one thing, but health is the most important for me. I want to make sure I'm totally healthy to play the game of basketball. I want to have a long career, and I just want to make the right strides toward doing that."

I don't have any answers here. I really wish I did. All I know is Amare continues to be an enigma to us all.

Again, all these thoughts are nothing more than speculation and probably a good amount of stupidity on my part but that doesn't change the fact that a statement from Amare regarding the Olympic team and his reasons for not participating would go a long way. Something like this would really do the trick:

While bringing home a gold medal with the rest of the incredible players on USA Basketball would be a dream come true for myself and my family, I do not feel at this time that my body will be able to hold up to the rigors of what would amount to a year-round basketball season. It is for this reason as well as my dedication to the Phoenix Suns, my new head coach Terry Porter, my Suns teammates and Suns Fans that I regretfully remove my name from consideration for the Olympic team.

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Knowing is knowledge.