Amare Disses the Bobcats

I'll admit, this one went right by me when I read it. Never even thought twice about it. And this is coming from someone who visibly cringes every time Amare Stoudemire manages to get himself quoted in a way that paints a less-than-flattering picture of his verbal decision-making skills. In an AZCentral article a few days ago, Amare was asked if it would be difficult returning to the Suns after his experience playing alongside some of the league's best on Team USA. His response was:

I doubt Amare intended any disrespect toward the Bobcats. I'm sure he only meant that it is much more fun going back to a championship contender than it would be returning to a team that has never even made the playoffs. To emphasize his point, he probably just named the first losing team that came to mind. But, it seems Bobcat fans are not amused, expressing their displeasure with profanity and even a couple of bad wishes to Amare's health. Can I blame them? Well, not for being upset (wishing injuries on someone for whatever reason is an entirely different matter). Still, I have to cut Amare a break here. Sure, he could have chosen his words a little more carefully, but really, how many people outside of Bobcats-fandom even noticed that comment? (OK, these guys did, and they're thinking it might make November's game in Charlotte a lot more interesting). Anyway, since we're suffering a severe lack of Suns-related news heading into the weekend, I thought I would throw this out there for anyone curious enough (or bored enough) to check out the view of Amare's comments from the other side. Thanks go to Phxsuns.net for the "scoop".