Seriously, the man is on a tear. He's playing defense. He's hustling. His offensive repertoire is insane. Amar'e Stoudemire is seriously making a case that he not only deserves the money he's asking for but a case for being the best power forward in the NBA as well as the best big man. This title once belonged to Pau Gasol as being the most skilled big man in the league but I think at this point, there's no contest.

Remember in the past few seasons when you'd be biting your nails when you see STAT holding the ball for more than 5 seconds and were just waiting for him to make a bad play? I know I was because those were the times when the Suns would usually have a turnover due to a bad play from STAT. Now he knows when to attack and how to attack. He's playing much smarter and I think he's shown he's the best big man in the NBA.

He has monster games against the best of the NBA's bigs. When he faces Dwight Howard, he always takes him to school. He had a few bad games earlier this season against the Lakers but seriously, he was still coming back. The last 2 meetings had him dominating and Robin Lopez definitely helped take off some of the pressure. He easily abuses Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett when he plays against them and they're 2 of the best defensive big men in the league.

Offensively, Stoudemire's in another stratosphere and I don't think any player has a more complete game. The man can dunk, post up, dribble and drive, spot up and shoot, and he even has a fadeaway shot. He's a good free throw shooter so he's not someone you'd feel comfortable sending to the line. (Work on those free throws, Dwight!) Also, when he comes at you, he comes at you HARD. I doubt there's anyone who'd question his toughness. Defensively, we know that he's CAPABLE of being an double digit rebounder and a great shot blocker. The guy has great leaping abilities and is an athletic freak. With his abilities, he should easily be a formidable defensive presence and now it looks like he's slowly progressing in that direction. With Robin down there with Amar'e to protect the paint, both are able to come from the weak side to block shots. It's a win-win situation for them. Also, Amar'e's learning not to leave his feet when he's guarding his man so he's not in foul trouble as much as he was in previous years.

I think he's clearly the best big man in the NBA now and if he continues to beast like this, that max contract is well-deserved. Amar'e gets bashed for a lot of things that he doesn't do but those bashers are spoiled fans who can't appreciate what they have. He's the only big man that is perfect for our system and we would never be able to find another player to fill in that gap. The Suns need him. Speaking as a true Suns fan, we will definitely regret having Stoudemire leave.

Amar'e really is Standing Tall And Talented. 'Nuff said.