Amare Stoudemire out 8 weeks!
Holy cow this snuck up on me. I heard a rumor of an eye injury yesterday but now we learn that he had to have surgery for a detached retina last night:
Phoenix Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire underwent successful surgery today to repair a partially detached retina in his right eye. The procedure was performed earlier this morning by Dr. Pravin Dugel at Spectra Eye Institute in Sun City, Arizona.
"We are very glad to hear that Amar’e should have a 100 percent recovery relative to his vision and his long-term prognosis is excellent," said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. "Obviously, it is very disappointing to lose him at this time. We are all very excited about the progress the team is making, but Amar’e’s health and the health of all our players is our number one concern."
Stoudemire’s return to physical activity is estimated at eight weeks depending upon his healing process. Dr. Dugel stresses that recovery varies on a case-by-case basis.
I recall him getting hit in the eye against the Clippers (by Al Thorton I believe) but he finished the game. This is the same right eye that suffered a torn iris during training camp.
This image was just sent to me from Suns fans and Bright Side reader Stuck in LA who was at the game in LA and took this picture:
Stay tuned. More to come on this one but it certainly seems that the Suns will now have to sign and play Courtney Sims. It will also be very interesting to see if Gentry reacts by slowing things back down now that he's down to one all-star big man.
I hate to see any player injured and I certainly hope Amare recovers quickly and fully.
But here's the silver lining. The Bright Side. We are going to learn a lot about Amare by having him out.
Recall that there was talk from the Suns front office about moving Amare as an "addition by subtraction" thing. Without him we will see just want that looks like which is going to help the team make a big decision next summer when it comes time to either trade or extend Amare.
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 02/20/09 10:53 AM MST ]
Here's an interesting side note. The injury happened on Wednesday evening. The trade deadline was Thursday. The Suns obviously knew about the injury
I wonder how or if this played in to not trading Shaq?
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97 comments
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Comments
stan, sent you a picture.
use it if you want
by STUCK IN LA on Feb 20, 2009 10:22 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks!
Nice picture btw and great seats too!
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on Feb 20, 2009 10:35 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Where is Boris Diaw when we need him
So much for that “once more into the breach” optimism post I was planning to put up later today. What a buzzkill.
Although you DID call it (or jinx them) with the comment yesterday on how the Suns have been lucky with injuries this season.
I can’t remember when this injury happened, but I sure hope it wasn’t when Amare was still in the game even though it was a blowout trying to get his 50 points.
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 10:27 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Reports says
it happened in the 1st Q. But I guess with that game being what it was, he could have come out sooner. He was the only starter who played in the 4th I think.
by gadogry on Feb 20, 2009 10:39 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
was he supposed to be wearing goggles?
If so, one more bad decision by amare hurting this team…again
Just when I was getting excited about the suns again…yeah…i know it was 2 games against the clippers, but to see them running again, man!! this sucks
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 10:45 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
One more thing
Should the Suns now “rest” Nash and Shaq for the rest of the season in hope of winning the lottery? They DO have their own pick this year best I recall (unlike next year when they have to give it to Seattle…er…Oklahoma)
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 10:30 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Friggen amazing
This is just friggen unbelieveable.
This team is so cursed it’s sad.
Now what huh? Tank? Might as well unless Sims or Lou can play like a god.
So much for hope. I guess there never really was hope.
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 10:33 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
this is what happens when f-ck over porter like you did
by proposals on Feb 20, 2009 11:11 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
umm no
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:17 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Turambar!
Why’d you go and f-ck over Porter like that, you stupid…you, you!
by Azreous on Feb 20, 2009 3:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn you Boris Diaw
1st for poking his eye in the preseason and thus could be a reason why the injury is so bad now, and 2nd, wanting out of Phoenix when we could really use you right now.
Only silver lining could be that Shaq will be the man on offense and they can work around him. Not sure who will fill the void now.
Wasn’t Amar’e warned that if he didn’t wear goggles for the rest of his career it could be more severe?
Hey, hey, hey hey hey, watch the language, ok? I have a family.
Revenge of the Birds
by Andrew602 on Feb 20, 2009 10:36 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Injury happened in 1st quarter.
Hey, hey, hey hey hey, watch the language, ok? I have a family.
Revenge of the Birds
by Andrew602 on Feb 20, 2009 10:37 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Crapball
No good way to spin this.
I am pretty sure that the Suns DO NOT have their 1st rounder this year – OKC has it.
If Sarver is ok with spending money this season, let’s hope he means it, and throws some money at Drew Gooden or Joe Smith when they get bought out.
Also, I think the 07 Warriors comparison is more apt – I think you’ll see at 4 guard line up, ala Suns 1998, with Nash, Barbosa, J-Rich, Hill and Amundsun or something.
Man this sucks
by UASun on Feb 20, 2009 10:37 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
The Suns have their pick this year
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/thomas_trade_070720.html
They gave up 2008 and 2010 picks to Seattle to bribe them into taking Kurt Thomas off the salary cap, the Seattle got yet another pick from SA “selling” him prior to the deadline so he could help send the Suns home early in the playoffs. Not Kerr’s finest moment.
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 10:40 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
BTW, I'm not advocating the Tank Ball system
…in fact, I hate when teams do that. However, I’d bet 90% of the teams in the league facing this exact situation would do that.
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I would be ok with tanking
If the draft this year wasn’t so bad – with our record, we probably can’t get into the top five, and the talen outside the top five is nasty
by UASun on Feb 20, 2009 10:47 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Didn’t they trade next year’s draft pick, so they still have this year’s?
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
What an awfull time for this to come...
Too bad… So Lou will be a starter? Or Barnes will play the 4?
My body might be in Greece, but my mind and my heart is in Arizona. When the heck will I visit the Desert?
by Giannaros on Feb 20, 2009 10:38 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
I think they’re going to have to slow things down again, and revolve the offense around Shaq. What cruddy luck this team has.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 10:39 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Sims City 2009
Keep him, start him, hopefully he’ll translate
by STUCK IN LA on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
We are going to find out...
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
WHYYYY WHYYY!!?
WHY DID YOU DITCH THE GOGGLES!!!???? YOU SCORED 49 POINTS WITH THEM ON!!!!
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 10:41 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Can we
play like Orlando on offense? 1 centre and 4 shooters?
Oh yeah, our only shooters are Nash, LB and JRich. Never mind.
by gadogry on Feb 20, 2009 10:43 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
someone needs to tell this good point to barnes
because he keeps friggen shooting 3 point shots and clank!
Barnes helps us in other areas, but he should be told – “unless its a layup or within 10 feet, don’t shoot it”
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 10:48 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Courtney
Sims is our last hope!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOO
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 10:49 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
One less mouth to feed...
Lou had better learn to play the pick & roll with Steve & fast..
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Feb 20, 2009 10:50 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
He’s not too bad at it if it results in a dunk.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 10:52 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Somebody get the Hyperbaric chamber fired up...
We need some quick healing!
by presbot on Feb 20, 2009 10:52 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
I find the timing to be interesting
Is it just me, or do Amare’s most devastating injuries have a tendency to happen at …um..convenient times for Amare? Such as the day right after the trade deadline? Such as right after signing the big contract? OK… that’s probably reading too much in (besides, he would have most certainly have failed the physical, so “saving” the bad news until after the trade deadline would have been pointless I guess). Still, just sayin’….
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 10:52 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Interesting time yes... convenient now
I’m very interested to see how this team will play without Amare, but hell, we are fighting for a playoff spot, there is not time to adjust now…
My body might be in Greece, but my mind and my heart is in Arizona. When the heck will I visit the Desert?
by Giannaros on Feb 20, 2009 10:57 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Yup
Gentry will still go at breakneck speed. Someone is just gonna have to step up. JRich? Lou? Sims? Shaq? Only God knows, and He doesnt seem to favor the Suns.
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:00 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
At least there will be more balls for J-Rich
He is a great scorer, time now to prove it. And who knows, maybe Sims will play as good as he did in the D-league… Is he any good defender? If I’m not mistaken he is a pretty good rebounder too. Just wondering about his D
My body might be in Greece, but my mind and my heart is in Arizona. When the heck will I visit the Desert?
by Giannaros on Feb 20, 2009 11:04 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
This is true.
Infact saying he doesnt favor the suns is an understatement.
"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time." - Vince Lombardi
by antiw0rm on Feb 20, 2009 11:04 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Clarifying
I meant news about Amare’s injuries, not the injuries themselves. Obviously, I wasn’t implying he purposefully got himself injured. Just that the timing on when it went public is interesting.
by TexSUN on Feb 20, 2009 11:05 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Wow
Very sorry to hear about Amare’s injury.
I’m a Suns hating Lakers fan but while I want to beat the Suns I hate to see anyone on either team get hurt.
Wow, what a season in Phx.
PS. Please tell Shaq to stop talking about going back to the Lakers. We don’t want him and I thought it was classless during an all-star game in Phx.
by olf on Feb 20, 2009 10:55 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
your right..but
you have to follow something with shaq and you’ll feel much better…let much of what he says go right past you..what’s his iq – like 80 -
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 11:03 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
yeah Shaq is a good dude but
my friend tried to claim that he’s a genius during all-star weekend. I was like…there is no way shaq is a genius. sorry i know this doesn’t have to do with anything but had to let it out. Sorry about Amare, we would’ve have loved to have him in Chicago.
by Bulls Mouthpiece on Feb 20, 2009 11:35 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Shaq's a pretty good entertainer
He great at the show-business side of the NBA.
The thing that bothered me the most is that while he was a dominating force in the game he could have done much more if he had kept himself in shape.
by olf on Feb 20, 2009 11:36 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
2 great points
he’s an awesome entertainer…and on the in shape thing…without question – he could’ve done much more if he had a stronger work ethic…many things have helped his phx run
having grant hill on the team and playing for a team that has a shot are the 2 biggest
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 12:02 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
So how dark can it get?
It’s always darkest right before dawn? Isn’t that the saying? How freakin dark can it get?
"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time." - Vince Lombardi
by antiw0rm on Feb 20, 2009 10:56 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Let's hope
…that the Cavaliers buy out Lebron James’ contract!!!!!! :(
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 10:58 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
"Game over man! Game over!!"
“What are we gonna do now! Huh!?! What are we gonna do!?”
Was hoping for a nice day today, I was even think of getting tickets for the game tonight. Now though? I need a drink….a good strong drink.
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 10:58 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Any time we can work in an Aliens quote, it’s good times.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 10:59 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
hey -
this 9 yr old girl survived in the nba for 2 years, I think we can last til the end of the season
FINE! Put her in charge!!
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 11:06 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I really hope that (a) they start Courtney Sims, and (b) they let JRich loose.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 11:00 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Maybe we will get a break.
Maybe courtney sims can put up numbers like he did in the d league. and in a fast system maybe he can put up higher numbers?
"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time." - Vince Lombardi
by antiw0rm on Feb 20, 2009 11:02 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
I'm gonna...
go dunk on people with Amar’e in NBA 2k9 and cry. Lol he dropped 42 points with a bad eye!! How sick would a PIRATE Amar’e be!!!!??? Just slap on an eye patch STAT!!! YARRGGHH! Wuuaaahhh :(
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 11:02 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
would he be blessed with the power of no depth perception and try to dunk from half court?
by STUCK IN LA on Feb 20, 2009 11:04 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
LOL
"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time." - Vince Lombardi
by antiw0rm on Feb 20, 2009 11:06 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Ive said it before
I’ll say it again. God hates us.
If we can slip into the playoffs, and Amare’s back, then maybe…
ah eff it. We’re doomed. Optimism be damned
by Funky Flapsack on Feb 20, 2009 11:06 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah … honestly, instead of trying to get back in the playoffs, the Suns should start the “Rebuilding Auditions” and play the crap out of Dragic, Lopez, Dudley, Amundson, and Sims, so we can see if any of those guys are worth keeping around in the next phase of the Suns.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 11:11 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Just as a preventitive measure...
I’m adding goggles to STAT in my Association in NBA 2k9
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 11:10 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
NOOOO
I can’t add goggles!!!! He’s gonna get them poked the F out :(
by whatisboxhappening on Feb 20, 2009 11:11 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Well this should help the financial situation.
I’m guessing insurance will pick up the last third of his salary.
by stampchez on Feb 20, 2009 11:11 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
that's a good question
i always wondered how that worked…anyone…bueller?
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 11:20 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
He should be covered
I’ll get back to you guys on that
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:26 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Not to be a cynic ...
But is this perhaps why the Suns did not move Stoudemire, because they knew he wouldn’t pass the physical? (Along with the not trading Shaq thing)
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 11:21 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
i guess it depends on how bad his eye was before the clipper game
but it looks more like the clipper injury made this happen – also – it’s pretty clear amare attacks the basket as well as anyone, making him higher at risk for getting fingers in the eye, etc
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 11:24 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, but the Clipper game was the day before the trade deadline.
by jburning on Feb 20, 2009 11:33 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
my mistake...tragic
I guess we’ll never really know – I thought he was long gone…
I didn’t realize playing a different style would motivate the suns to score 140 2 games in a row…lets see what they do against boston…even w/o amare…
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 12:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
It'll be fair now
Boston will be playing without KG and now Phoenix without Amar’e so that is pretty much a wash.
by turs12 on Feb 20, 2009 3:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Why didn't he go to the trusted eye doctor of the Phoenix Suns?
Dr Jay Shwartz or whatever
Or
Why couldn’t Amare be a man, like Kobe, and play through the pain. Then worrry about the rest in the offseason
by Funky Flapsack on Feb 20, 2009 11:23 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
It's not that simple
If that kind of eye injury isnt fixed pronto he could be blinded in that eye for life
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:27 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
understood
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:36 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
that happened to my dad
he goes to dr. shorb – another bigtime eye doctor in phx…my dad got a scratch on his eye…didn’t go in for a while (meaning months) and by the time he did go in…it was too late and now he’s blind in one eye…and if I recall – he’d almost certainly have been ok if he’d gone in within a day or so…
and my dad had insurance – sad
by be-the-ball on Feb 20, 2009 12:06 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Terrible injury
I knew a family where the father had two detached retinas (both eyes) and went blind. One of his twin daughters also had a detached retina and is legally blind in that eye. Very serious business when you have an eye injury. God, I wish he had been wearing goggles like he should have.
by TwinnerA on Feb 20, 2009 12:29 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
We need another Tim Thomas
remember the impact he had last time Amare was out?
There has to be someone – Gooden or Smith – who can play a comparable roll
by UASun on Feb 20, 2009 11:32 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
We need another Boris Diaw
He was the one that stepped in for Stoudemire at the elbow and in the post when Amar’e’s knee injury sidelined him for the season.
by Mike Lisboa on Feb 20, 2009 11:39 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
starting lineup
move J-Rich to the 3
PG-Nash
SG-LB
SF-J-Rich
PF-someone who doesn’t totally suck
C- Shaq
by Funky Flapsack on Feb 20, 2009 11:43 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Why not...might as well try all our options
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 11:56 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Sims interview
I have a half written piece on Sims based on an interview I did with him last week here in Phx.
I think it is time to finish that…stay tuned.
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on Feb 20, 2009 11:58 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Sims
Is there any hope he’ll even start or get time? I havent seen him even in uniform this year
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 12:00 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
can sprite sponsor a "get sims into the line up" event
were we can text in for him to play? come on NBA, cater to your fan(s) needs! :)
by STUCK IN LA on Feb 20, 2009 12:06 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
WE'LL BE FINE
Amare’s scoring can be replaced…the 8 rebounds will be a little harder to replace, but we’re better defensively without him.
WE’LL BE FINE!
cries
Steve Nash, the league's MVP, is a longhaired Canadian who spoke out against the war in Iraq and reads The Communist Manifesto. Quentin Richardson declared after a game-winning shot that it "was like Hamlet. It was a suspense thriller, and I killed them at the end." Amare Stoudemire, when asked to comment on a 22-point third quarter against the Kings, said, "I've got a tendency to jump over some guys' heads and throw it down."
by rsavaj on Feb 20, 2009 12:20 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Sigh
Well we’ll just have to see how the rest of the team react. Will they give up? Will they fight like men who got nothing to lose? We’ll see.
DAMN TODAY SUCKS!!!!!!!
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on Feb 20, 2009 12:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Frick
Here I’m taking a Fri. off from work and I’m kicking back at home watching For Love of the Game (even though I don’t like Kevin Costner but I love baseball) and my sister nterrupts me to tell me about Amare. This team can’t ever catch a break.
by TwinnerA on Feb 20, 2009 12:34 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Wonder if Sarver will be willing to spend more money
And pick up, say…Mikki Moore?
by hcblankscreen on Feb 20, 2009 12:47 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
No way... this is a freaking nightmare
I can’t believe this.
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
by PanamaSun on Feb 20, 2009 1:15 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
i decided to sleep in on my day off and when i wake up and turn on the computer and check espn, the first thing i see in a big red box is ‘breaking news’ with amare’s picture. i promptly scan the headlines which say that he may miss up to 8 week because of eye surgery and immediately start screaming at the computer screen.
this is absolutely devastating.
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
by noonoo on Feb 20, 2009 2:12 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Question
Why did Amare stay in the rest of the game? I mean, it’s not like the Suns needed him against the Clippers. That was a very, very dangerous situation – imagine if he had been knocked in the head and injured his eye again.
by Worthy J. on Feb 20, 2009 2:17 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Just great
Well I wake up to this news, a day after we are rejoicing that Amare has remained a Sun.
Barbosa to also step up – he’s going to have to provide more offense as well as J-Rich.
Good question Worthy J. – why did Amare play the rest of the Clippers game if he knew he had this injury? I guess at that stage maybe he didn’t know the severity of it.
Does Robin Lopez get more minutes now, or does Gentry go with an even smaller lineup – Nash, LB, Richardson, Hill, Shaq?
by dang on Feb 20, 2009 3:41 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Man this sucks
but it’s not all doom and gloom. Don’t forget the Rockets are in an even worse state than the Suns. T Macs out for the year, and the fact they traded Alston pretty much suggests they’re waving a white flag and kissing the season goodbye. Which all should mean the Suns make the playoffs by default anyway.
If it all does go a bit Pete Tong though, at least there should be ample time to at the end of the season to give the bench guys a chance to get some decent experience and try to salvage what has otherwise been a wasted year for Dragic, Lopez etc
by nash-n-burn on Feb 20, 2009 3:42 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn't count on that
T-mac was actually hurting the Rockets whenever he was on the floor and replacing Alston with Lowrey is pretty much a wash. Alston was actually distributing the ball well the last few games but his abysmal shooting percentage cancelled that out. If Brooks can develop some consistency and return to early season form, the Rockets might even have improved this year on the trade.
by Worthy J. on Feb 20, 2009 4:16 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs


















