Amare Stoudemire Is A Great Talent, But Still Not MVP Great

My Quick Take: Great players win through making those around them better, great talents worry about getting recognized and talk to reporters about respect.

Right now, great players such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, and Chris Paul are only focused on the playoff race.

Yesterday, a great talent like Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire made national headlines complaining about being omitted from the MVP race.

"I don’t know what it is. I hear everybody’s name mentioned as far as the top players in the league. My name is never up there. It definitely hurts because I put in the work and the time and the effort to be an elite player. But my thing is just to keep improving. Whether they notice it or not, my teammates notice it, my coaching staff notices it, and we’re winning ballgames." (Arizona Republic)

 See the difference? On the one hand, STAT has a point. Perhaps, his fine play of late has been slept-on. On the other hand, true MVPs aren’t lobbying the media during the stretch drive for props like a Democratic or Republican candidate in the upcoming American election.

To be fair, the All-Star forward has made strides. Early in his career, he was known for being self-absorbed, but recently he’s become more of a team-first star.

Still, if Stoudemire wants MVP love, he must use his athleticism to become a terrific rebounder and defender. That’s what a great player would do.

Should Stoudemire be an MVP candidate? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts and click here for more of Oly Sandor’s NBA Blog.

(Image: appears courtesy of photographer Justin Chacter at flickr.com)