AGRI Biz

Amare Stoudemire's words finally meant something instead of nothing when he spoke to reporters at his basketball camp, Tuesday. You just have to look beyond the words to get the real meaning.   "The most important factor of playing for an organization is to be able to be totally comfortable and give them 100 percent. That's what I've done my whole career, so it's only right to look for a maximum contract." ...

LeBron James is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. I repeat: LeBron James is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm not a Knicks, Bulls, Nets, Clippers, Heat or Cavs fan. I'm a Suns fan, so you can trust, if nothing else, that I'm indifferent as to where he ends up. What this objective observer saw in Game 6 was a LeBron who half-heartedly tried to shift into superstar gear in the final five minutes. I saw LeBron, ...

First of all, I called this before the season started (check upper-right written date). And yeah, I'm rubbing it in the faces of anyone who read and ridiculed. True to their Cinderella status, the Suns used their brooms on the team responsible for kicking them down again and again. Phoenix got a lot of help from the Spurs, too. San Antonio failed to execute, or handle the ball that matter, in the methodical ...

It's a love-hate thing. You can love the drama of the NBA Playoffs, but you can also hate some of the drama found therein. The best things are why you keep watching, even if it is grudgingly after your team has been ousted. The worst things make your hand twitch towards the remote, or even walk away momentarily until they pass. The good makes you go "Did that just happen?!" The bad ...

You can sense it from the commentators' tones. You can see it in the Spurs' faces. You can probably feel it whether you're going for Phoenix or San Antonio. Surprise. No matter how improved the Suns are, nobody expected them to take a 2-0 lead against their black-and-silver poison. Suns fans can profess all they want how they knew this year was different. But seriously, did they really think, before the ...

The semifinal series feature interesting subplots, but three of them lack the qualities to make them spectacular. The Lakers are already on their way to ousting the injury-riddled Jazz, the Cavs squelched Kevin Garnett's best playoff performance since 2008, and Orlando should feast on Atlanta's soft interior. Thank the basketball Gods for the Suns vs. the Spurs series. This should be a six- to seven-game affair featuring bad blood, vengeful crowds and ...

The playoffs aren't just where reps are made. Contracts are made there, too. Just ask Jerome James. Guys like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will get their greenbacks whether their teams soar (Cleveland) or stink (Miami). With Amare Stoudmemire, it's not such a given. Maybe that's because he hasn't been a given during his career. Until the second half of this season, it was almost commonplace to see 25 and 12 one ...

Alvin Gentry said he'd play the bench more so Nash would be fresh in the fourth quarter. Instead, the reserves let Nash keep their seats warm in the final frame. Good thing, too, what with Grant Hill battling foul trouble and Jarron Collins battling a bad matchup with the quicker, longer Blazers' front line (he did actually contribute in Game 5). The Suns' bench would be a great draw for college basketball fans ...

The title is not a typo. Everyone lauds the Suns' offense while deriding their defense. Given their performances over the last half-decade, that's understandable. But take a look during that same span at the Suns' offense when the game comes down to the wire. You'll find, to your surprise, the Suns struggling as much, sometimes more, to score a basket as stopping one. A closer look at the Suns' personnel (and coaching calls) ...

With Portland swarming Amare down low and out-muscling Steve Nash on the perimeter, Phoenix needed Jason Richardson in the worst way this series. Man, has he delivered. J-Rich cashed in for 29 points in Game Two, then upped the ante with a 42-point onslaught in Game Three. Suddenly the guy Phoenix treated like over-expensive trade bait is the indispensable teammate the Suns need to succeed. That's not to disparage guys like Grant Hill, ...