Amar'e Stoudemire Hates Fire Extinguishers

When an athlete is able to play at the highest level in their sport, it can be hard to lose. You are used to dominating at every level, then you hit a wall and can't seem to get over the hill. Players deal with their frustration differently. You can hit the gym, talk it over with teammates, or forget it and move on. If it was only that easy for a certain member of the New York Knicks. A moment of frustration could end the season for Amar'e Stoudemire or Amare Stoudemire (for those who lack an apostrophe on their keyboards).

I promise that no fire extinguishers or their cases were hurt in the writing of this blog post.

The New York Knicks lost to the Miami Heat (104-94) in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series. This is the second defeat in a row. They were dominated in the fourth quarter with ease. Most say that this was a "must win" game for the Knicks. They now face an an incredible challenge to come back in this series.

Yahoo! reports that while exiting the court, Stoudemire punched the glass of a fire extinguisher case. He cut his hand and later left the arena with a heavily bandaged hand and his arm in a sling. It was reported that there was a great deal of blood in the Knicks locker room and that a paramedic that to assist in helping him with his injury. Stoudemire later tweeted, "I'm so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed for home for a new start." The extent of his injury has not be reported yet, but due to the amount of blood and the bandage/sling medical equipment, it could be substantial.

It is unknown if Stoudemire is healthy enough to play in the rest of the series or if he will receive any discipline for his destruction of the arena's property. He was just recovering from a back injury and he would join Jeremy Lin, Iman Shumpert, and possibly Baron Davis on the injured list. Davis missed the first-half of this game after his own back injury flared up on him. It is unknown if Lin will be able to play in this series and Shumpert will be out until next season with a torn ligament.

The Knicks have a nearly improbably task ahead of them. If they win one game in this series, I would consider it a moral victory. Carmelo Anthony can only do so much and he's already maxed out. I will continue watching this series for Steve Novak, a "White Boy of the Year" nominee. They can go into the 2012-13 season with a decent draft pick in a very deep draft, a healthy Jeremy Lin, and either Mike Woodson or a new coach. They will be a better team next year, if they can stay healthy...and Stoudemire stops trying to fight fire extinguishing equipment.

Photo credit goes to Timothy Burke for his hilarious Photoshop talent. Go to Deadspin for his awesome photo and video work.

McGrady Would Be Nice Fit For Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are rumored to be interested in signing Tracy McGrady. The 31-year old has been on the shelf with injuries over the last few seasons, but has shown the ability to score points in a hurry in the past. Would he accept a bench role for a chance to make it out of the first-round of the playoffs? Would he accept a a one-year, incentive based, low salary deal? Those questions are yet to be answered, but I believe he would be a nice fit on the young Bulls team.

The Bulls have been very active this off-season and they are making a push to be contenders this season. They have had the moniker of "team on the rise" over the last three seasons, but with the addition of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer, they are becoming a very deep team. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah had career years last season and they are yet to hit their prime. The Bulls know that the window for this team is a few seasons, but that could change with key injuries.

McGrady, who is still younger than his body seems to be, could mentor some of the players on the team and help them mature. He has been a leader on some very good teams, but has always fell short of making it out of the first-round. The only season in which his team made is past the first-round, was when he was injured and couldn't play. The risk of signing McGrady would be his knee. He had microfracture surgery and it usually takes two years for a player to regain his prior form or it never comes back at all. Amar'e Stoudamire had the surgery two seasons ago and he came out in 2009-10 and had a very productive year. He is a success story, but with that story come many others that aren't as positive. Chris Webber had the surgery and even though he was solid when coming back, he was never the same. Age could be to blame in Webber's case, but having the microfracture surgery couldn't have helped.

Signing a player who has a history of injuries is very risky. It usually doesn't work out and with the guaranteed contracts in the NBA, it's a chance that many GMs don't want to take. The one example of an injury-plagued player bouncing back later in his career is Grant Hill. He basically had his ankle completely reconstructed and had various other injuries when he was with the Orlando Magic. He signed a very cheap deal to resurrect his career with the Phoenix Suns and he has had a second-life with the team. I hope McGrady has the same luck, because he was such a phenomenal scorer during his prime, it would be a shame that an injury could shorten his career.