DAVE BURNS

Burns: Suns fans change tune on Amar’e

Jan 10, 2011, 3:42 PM | Updated: Jan 19, 2011, 3:41 am

As the old saying goes…..hindsight is 20/20. Remarkably some Suns fans
can do even better than that.

Some can actually look back in time and not only see things perfectly; they
can see things that were never actually there to begin with.

Amar’e Stoudemire made his triumphant return to Phoenix on Friday night
and in many ways the stat line on the floor was just as good as the quote
line after the game. A 121-96 Knicks blowout in which Stoudemire scored
23 points, 19 in the first half and delivered this gem afterwards: “I had one
objective and that was to dominate.”

Yeah, no kidding.

The return put many Suns fans in a nostalgic mood, eager to go back in
time and replay the events that led to Stoudemires’ departure. But in
reading some of the texts and tweets, posts and emails, the wave of
revisionist history is predictable and funny.

Where was all this outrage six months ago when the Suns decided not to
keep him in the first place? Citing the garden variety of reasons (health,
effort), I would say the vast majority of Suns fans I heard from were
perfectly fine with him leaving. It was understood and accepted with very
little resistance.

But since then, the Suns spent the money they didn’t spend on Amar’e on a
bunch of guys who bear no resemblance whatsoever to Stoudemire. Amar’e
and the Knicks are playing well, the Suns aren’t, and now…the rewrite is
on. Power up the flux capacitor, travel through time and decide it was a bad
move.

Again…predictable and funny.

I especially laugh at the few fans that have gone to the extreme of accusing
the Suns of breaking up a “championship” team.

Huh? I’ve been following the Suns my whole life and I don’t recall one of
those. I recall a team last year that was tied 2-2 with the Lakers in the
Western Conference Finals. But did anyone honestly believe that team was
good enough to beat the Lakers then? Good enough to beat them now?
Good enough, had they kept Amar’e, to compete for an NBA championship
this year against the likes of L.A., the Celtics, the Magic or the Heat?

Clearly, the Suns would be a better team with Amar’e than without. They
would win more games, have more fun, and be easier on the eye than they
are now. I’d be a fool to argue otherwise. But if Amar’e were here right
now, the Suns would be what they have always been: Good but not quite
good enough.

Rewrite the history books ‘til you run out ink, you’ll never convince me
otherwise.

Dave Burns

New York Jets running back Chris Johnson trades jerseys with Tennessee Titans players, after an NFL...

Dave Burns

The Arizona Cardinals deserve a participation trophy

Give credit to Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim for one thing -- he's always trying to improve the roster.

9 years ago

Follow @Burnsy987...

Dave Burns

Doubling down on Ryan McDonough

I am going to actively avoid using the word "trust" when talking about Ryan McDonough and how he is going to fix the Phoenix Suns.

9 years ago

Follow @Burnsy987Presented By...

Dave Burns

A Corolla at running back might work for the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals might be better off looking for a running back in the draft than to land the big name.

9 years ago

Follow @Burnsy987Presented By...

Dave Burns

On Darnell Dockett: This too shall pass

And two years from now he might very well be sounding that alarm high above the University of Phoenix crowd before a Cardinals home game.

9 years ago

Follow @Burnsy987Presented By...

Dave Burns

‘Same Old Cardinals’ becoming a distant memory

I was born in the early '70s but that doesn't mean I remember much about them.

9 years ago

Follow @Burnsy987...

Dave Burns

5 takeaways from Thursday’s wild trade deadline

Thursday was the most fun NBA trade deadline in recent memory.

9 years ago

Burns: Suns fans change tune on Amar’e