Full Basketball HOF Class of '24 Announced

[Who]

I am quite curious what Amare's record looks like. I have a tough time pegging him next to other All-Time Greats.

So he had a good rookie season and was a burgeoning star in his 2nd season similar to Al Jefferson in his last year here in Boston. Then he has his breakout campaign in his 3rd season. The first next to Nash. The first under D'Antoni. They switch him to the center spot from the four and he becomes unguardable. A scoring machine reminiscent of Bob McAdoo in the mid-1970s.

2004-05 = 26ppg 9rpg 56% FG% 61.7% TS%

Then he gets hurt, misses 2005-06. Comes back and has two strong seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08. PHX loses in the 2nd round in 2007 to San Antonio but were probably the 2nd best team in the league that year. Then in 2008 they trade Marion for Shaq and move Amare back to PF. Duncan beats them again. This time in the 1st round. Amare also improves his midrange and long two point jump-shooting during this period making him even more unstoppable as a scorer.

2006-07 = 20.4ppg 9.6rpg 57.5% FG% 63.7% TS%
2007-08 = 25.2ppg 9.1rpg 59% FG% 65.7% TS%

2009 Amare plays only half a season. 2009-10 PHX get rid of Shaq and go back to Nash orientated basics. Amare leaves for NY for 2010-11 before his career goes off the track with injuries in 2011-12. His prime is over at that point.

2009-10 = 23.1ppg 8.9rpg 53.1% FG% 61.5% TS%
2010-11 = 25.3ppg 8.2rpg 50.2% FG% 56.5%

So Amare had 5 prime seasons. Another half season. He was the best player on only 1 of those teams in NY. He was a sidekick on the other teams to Steve Nash.

The Nash teams had some great playoff moments including Amare. Amare was phenomenal against Tim Duncan in the 2005 Conference Finals. Great performance. Amare played well in 2007 and 2008. He played well again in 2010 as the Suns made the Conference Finals for the 2nd time with Amare on the team. Amare had a miserable showing in 2011 with NY. I forget that series. I wonder if he was injured. That looks strangely bad for Amare (14ppg 38%). I presume he was injured.

So Amare definitely has some playoff memories. I'd say his 2005 series against Duncan was similar to Vince's 2001 series against Iverson. Besides that, I think Amare was just luckier to play on more talented teams than Vince in their respective primes. Vince never got to play with someone better than him until his prime was over and he joined the Orlando Magic while Amare played with Nash for most of his own prime.

Amare is also often blamed for the Suns lack of post-season success / Titles due to his poor interior defense and subpar rebounding. Charles Barkley often hammering him for his lack of rebounding, and rightly so, during that run.

[Moranis]

Ah yes because Nash was a great defender.  Nash is the guy that pretty consistently came up small.  Forgetting how to shoot and still not being able to defend a chair.  Amar'e by and large outperformed the regular season in the playoffs.  The Suns didn't win because the D'Antoni offense is so 3 point shot centric, it isn't consistent. That is why they never won in Phoenix, New York, or Houston.  Far too often the guys that made that work in the regular season went cold in the post season and perhaps the only player a bigger offender of that than Harden was Nash.

[Who]

Ah yes because Nash was a great defender.  Nash is the guy that pretty consistently came up small.  Forgetting how to shoot and still not being able to defend a chair.  Amar'e by and large outperformed the regular season in the playoffs.  The Suns didn't win because the D'Antoni offense is so 3 point shot centric, it isn't consistent. That is why they never won in Phoenix, New York, or Houston.  Far too often the guys that made that work in the regular season went cold in the post season and perhaps the only player a bigger offender of that than Harden was Nash.

You don't expect Nash to be your defensive leader. He doesn't have the athleticism. Amare did. He was an athletic freak at 6-10. That is why people pointed the finger at him. Also being their biggest player and having the responsibility of being their paint protector and main rebounder. Neither of which he accepted.

The criticism was fair.

Nash meanwhile led Phoenix to the WCF again in 2006 while Amare was out injured.

[Donoghus]

FWIW,

HOF probabilities per BBREF;  Carter 77th at 0.9455 & Amar'e 106th at 0.7293.

[Moranis]

Ah yes because Nash was a great defender.  Nash is the guy that pretty consistently came up small.  Forgetting how to shoot and still not being able to defend a chair.  Amar'e by and large outperformed the regular season in the playoffs.  The Suns didn't win because the D'Antoni offense is so 3 point shot centric, it isn't consistent. That is why they never won in Phoenix, New York, or Houston.  Far too often the guys that made that work in the regular season went cold in the post season and perhaps the only player a bigger offender of that than Harden was Nash.

You don't expect Nash to be your defensive leader. He doesn't have the athleticism. Amare did. He was an athletic freak at 6-10. That is why people pointed the finger at him. Also being their biggest player and having the responsibility of being their paint protector and main rebounder. Neither of which he accepted.

The criticism was fair.

Nash meanwhile led Phoenix to the WCF again in 2006 while Amare was out injured.

Amar'e was never the same athletically after the first injury.  He outdueled Duncan in the 05 WCF in his 3rd year, got hurt and was never the same.  People just liked Nash. He didn't look like a NBA player and fans and media loved that about him.  Only in the NBA can a 2-time MVP under perform and yet the other guys on the team take more of the blame.