Start it up, Amare!

Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire has said the players might start their own league. Do it, big shot.

The NBA lockout continues to provide great comedy. Whether it’s Kobe selling himself to teams in Italy to garner as much attention as possible, or player’s refusal to accept the economic issues of it’s league, it’s a regular comedy show with these guys. The latest “we don’t need the NBA” talk comes from Knicks big man Amare Stoudemire. Amare said this recently about what the players can do if the lockout drags on like some players trying to read…

“If we don’t go to Europe then let’s to start our own league,” Stoudemire told a group of reporters. “That’s how I see it. It’s very serious. Yeah. It’s very, very serious. It’s a matter of us coming up with a plan, blueprint and putting it together. So we’ll see how this lockout goes. If it goes one or two years, then we got to start our own league.”

Just a plan and a blueprint, huh? Mr. Microfracture continued…

“If it don’t resolve then we’re thinking about starting our own league,” he continued. “Obviously we’re trying to get things started now as far as, you know, getting the lockout resolved. You know what I mean? We want to play NBA basketball. But if it doesn’t happen, what are we going to do? We can’t just sit around and not do anything.”

I am now dumber.

Let’s start at the beginning and try and digest this silliness.

If you don’t go to Europe? Who are you kidding? You aren’t going anywhere, and you know it. That’s why I wrote that right as the lockout started. And don’t “sit around and not do anything.” Get your asses to the table and figure this thing out. That is all we want from all of you.

Now that I’m slightly curious, how would this league work, Amare?

Who would fund it? How many teams would there be? Where are you playing your games? What would it be called? Where would fans watch these games? Who would be the player/commissioner of this league? Who would pay for the travel and the arena workers? How much would tickets cost?

There’s a lot to do, Amare. You don’t just start leagues up on a whim. I’m sure it would be cool to have Eddy Curry be the league mascot. Plus, I’m sure Carmelo & LaLa could get celebs to show up to games to feed your egos. Another option could be to have Dwight Howard be in charge of each team’s choreographed dance routines. You guys know enough jersey chasers, so finding girls won’t be a problem. And I’m sure that Baron Davis is the perfect guy to be the food and beverage chair, but how would you pay all of the players?

If you think the agents would want to fund this league, find rich snobs who would want to invest in it and pay the players, you are a bigger fool than I could have imagined. The agents want to bleed the owners dry by over paying their clients, they don’t want to fund a league.

And think of the backlash of all of this. Fans aren’t on your side in this now. The smart NBA fans knows the economics of basketball aren’t close to that of the NBA. Instead of starting your own league, contraction needs to happen in the league you play in now. So do us all a favor and stop with this nonsense. You aren’t starting a league. You are only starting to piss me off. Ge your asses to bargaining table, and don’t talk until you have a deal to announce.

@Louie_Ruffolo8