Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire is no fan of Tracy McGrady

16 comments by Paul Coro - Mar. 26, 2010 09:56 PM
The Arizona Republic

The distaste that Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire has for New York's Tracy McGrady was slowly but willingly revealed Friday morning.

It began after the Suns' shootaround with a question about whether McGrady coming back from microfracture knee surgery at his age would be more difficult than when Stoudemire did it.

"It takes a lot of self-discipline," Stoudemire said. "I'm not sure that everyone has it."

Pointed but innocuous.

He was asked about whether McGrady's decision to go from high school to the NBA had influenced him.

"It really didn't," Stoudemire said. "I went to a high school football game to talk to him about going to the NBA. He didn't really say anything. I respect Tracy, but that's where it ends."

McGrady played for Orlando from 2000 to 2004. Stoudemire was a rising high school star in nearby Polk County, where McGrady also grew up, before making his own preps-to-pros jump in 2002. Stoudemire said McGrady was watching his brother's football game when Stoudemire approached him.

"I'm not a huge Tracy McGrady fan," Stoudemire said.

As a person or player?

"Both," he said.

Why?

"I tried to reach out to him one time before in high school, really to get some advice on going from high school to the NBA, and he pretty much didn't say anything," he said. "So I look at myself now being successful in the NBA, if a kid from my hometown was to come up to me and say, 'Yo, Amar'e. I'm thinking about going out of high school.' I would say, 'Well, you know what, it's a tough process. College is very important. Education is very important.' So forth and so on. I didn't get any of that. I just went off my instinct."

McGrady not only disputed that such an exchange occurred but said he never went to a high school football game while he was a Magic player and that his brother did not play football. He said he did have a phone conversation on the topic with Stoudemire and watched Stoudemire play against his brother's team.

"That's a made-up story," McGrady said.

In turn, Stoudemire said McGrady was lying.

Cosmic wrote:They're both egotistical primadonnas. Not really a fan of either.

not really liking the options where both of these guys are here in 2010.

sidsanders wrote:

Cosmic wrote:They're both egotistical primadonnas. Not really a fan of either.

not really liking the options where both of these guys are here in 2010.

i think the injury questions would be the most concerning... any past beefs would probably be squashed if they became teammates i'm guessing.

i don't think donnie will sign this sort of player. which i am fine with.