Stoudemire would have no issues with coming to Cleveland

Feb 15, 2010, 8:40 PM EDT

Earlier in the day, it was reported that Amar’e Stoudemire did not want to come to Cleveland. Since that time, Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski have both refuted that claim on their twitter accounts. Wojnarowski tweeted that Stoudemire is “completely open” to Cleveland, and that he “loves the idea” of playing with LeBron James. Windhorst tweeted that Amar’e has never told the Cavs he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland.

Cleveland’s location has long been rumored to be a deterrent to potential acquisitions for the Cavaliers and one of the reasons LeBron could leave after this season. However, with how much money owner Dan Gilbert has spent on his team to give his players a positive experience and the possibility of playing with LeBron, players do seem very willing to brave the Cleveland weather to play for the Cavaliers. Amare himself just made a tweet that suggests he would be happy with the idea of playing in Cleveland. Stoudemire refutes the idea that he didn’t play well with Shaq, saying he scored more points and played better on D.

Stoudemire to Cleveland still isn’t a done deal, but Amare’s refusal to brave the cold doesn’t seem to be an obstacle in getting a deal done right now.

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4 Comments (Feed for Comments)

Larry - Feb 16, 2010 at 12:11 AM

It’s clear as a bell that Amare won’t mind finishing the year in Cleveland and a title run, but he has Miami on his mind in the long run. Lebron might stay or might not but Amare would rather play with Wade in Miami. It’s not that he likes playing with Wade better than Lebron but he’s the #2 option either way and would rather do it in his home state where it’s warm in the winter and where he owns a home. I can’t see anyone giving Amare 20 M a year for 3 years unless they have lost their mind, and that’s what he wants to stay in Cleveland.
That’s why he’s leaving PHX. He has massively inflated ideas of his dollar worth with a falling cap and tax scenario. From what has been said Amare and PHX are very far apart in their contract discussions. So whether Amare goes to Cleveland or not this season or even finishes the year in PHX, he is probably most likely to be playing in Miami next season. Mickey Arison can afford Amare’s price while Robert Sarver can not.

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Drew - Feb 16, 2010 at 1:20 AM

Anyone turning down a chance to play with Lebron needs their head examined. If you’re talking serious about winning a ring, going to Cleveland is your best bet.

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Tsunami - Feb 16, 2010 at 2:17 AM

I’ve never understood the Cleveland weather issue. From October until April the players are PLAYING BASKETBALL. It’s an INDOOR SPORT. How much time do they REALLY HAVE (or SHOULD they have) to be lying on South Beach sipping greygoose? I know LeBron spends what little free time he has away from games, practice, and endorsement commitments at home with his family. NBA vacation time comes in the summer – which is nice in Cleveland.

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Tsunami - Feb 16, 2010 at 2:20 AM

AND FUTHERMORE, young fella, GET that weak stuff OUTTA HERE!
No seriously. How is the weather in Portland any better than Cleveland? How is the weather in Chicago any better? I never remember anyone saying players didn’t want to play for the Bulls because of the weather.

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