The NBA unveiled it’s newest commercial in it’s “Where will amazing happen this year?” campaign. The commercial features the Dallas Mavericks and asks the question, “Where will this years amazing FAIL happen?”. David Stern and the NBA creative department felt one team was bound to collapse before the playoffs even started so what better team to honor than the Dallas Mavericks who are owners of the biggest FAIL in league playoff history.

Watch the Video HERE.

via phoenix.fanster.com

Most reports surrounding the possibility of trading Amare Stoudemire focus on his play and locker room presence as the onus for a deal. What if it has less to do with those reasons and more to do with something else? What if the buzz surrounding the deal is just that, buzz created to mask a less palatable explanation?

What if the Suns are thinking of dealing Amare to alleviate financial problems?...

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/02/10/if-trading-stoudemire-is-a-financial-move-sarver-should-step-aside/

It’s time to put your GM cap on. With the Suns reportedly shopping everyone and anyone not named Steve Nash it’s time to figure out who they should get back in return. Here are two trades in my book that make sense for the Suns on and off the court.

Trade Amare Stoudemire, Goran Dragic and a second round pick to Detroit for...

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/02/05/two-trades-that-make-sense-for-the-suns/

Maybe it's because the Suns game ended so late or maybe it's because they lost to the Spurs again but the Suns remind me of the Wizard of Oz.

The Suns have been strolling the Yellow "Larry O'Brien Trophy" Road for 4-years but at the end of the road there hasn't been a championship but rather a just a man,Robert Sarver, behind the curtain surrounded by bags of cash that once were draft picks such as Rajon Rondo . His name? The Wizard of PHX.....

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/30/the-suns-and-the-wizard-of-oz/ 

via phoenix.fanster.com

The player getting the most attention this week in Tampa is without a doubt Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

We knew Fitz was an NFC Pro Bowl starter before the postseason started. But what he’s done in the postseason has taken the football world by storm. Fitzgerald has racked up 23 catches for 419 yards and 5 touchdowns, including 3 in the NFC Championship alone. He’s earned every penny of his four-year, $40 million contract that he signed last offseason. Fitzgerald spoke in front of the mass of media this morning at Cardinals’ team headquarters…Check the video out here: http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/29/fitz-with-the-media-thursday/ 

It’s outlandish, it’s preposterous, it’s unthinkable and it’s just crazy enough that it might work.

Trade Amare Stoudemire straight up for Shawn Marion. The salaries work out according to ESPN.com’s trade machine.

Let that marinate for a second.

Marion is what the Suns need in the short term and cap space is what they can use in the long term.

The Heat are ready to pull the trigger because Marion has fallen short of expectations. They are desperate to get rid of him before the deadline in hopes of being able to find a piece to go along with Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley.

The Suns may be willing to do it because Stoudemire has not been “the man” like everyone expected him to be in Phoenix this year. His rebounding and points are down and the they are beginning to think about life without him....

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/27/want-to-fix-the-suns-trade-amare-for-marion/

The life and career of Kurt Warner would make a great movie. Record-setting Super Bowl quarterback, devout born-again Christian, devoted family man. His career has seen the highest peaks and the deepest valleys. He’s lifted two downtrodden NFL franchises to sport’s highest platform.
It’s really unbelievable, only it’s all true. And if the Arizona Cardinals find a way to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII on February 1st in Tampa, you can bet the screenwriters are going to start putting pen to paper (if they haven’t already).

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/21/who-would-play-warner-on-silver-screen/

via phoenix.fanster.com

With hope and the improbable rise of Barack Obama to power on the mind we here at Fanster couldn’t help but think of our very own Arizona Cardinals.

There is no doubt that you’ve all seen the Barack Obama "hope" poster by Shepard Fairey. Well we’ve created our very own Arizona Cardinals versions of the poster. While you root for your Cards on Super Bowl Sunday show your pride with Change, Faith and Hope.

Larry Fitzgerald (hope), Kurt Warner (faith) and Coach Whisenhunt (Change) are all depicted on the posters.

Check them all out here.

According to Bulls.com’s Sam Smith there are rumblings around the NBA that the Suns could be close to trading two time MVP Steve Nash to the Toronto Raptors. …Steve Nash already has been talking about finishing his career (his contract expires in 2010) in New York or back home in Canada. Why not sooner? I’ve heard speculation about such a possibility around the NBA and recently heard from e-mailer Stephen in Phoenix raising it as well. It’s an intriguing proposition. The Suns start to look beyond Shaq now with the idea of building around Stoudemire. While the Raptors push to get back in serious playoff contention to try to persuade Bosh to resign. Toronto reportedly has been anxious to trade, but really has little of great value. Here’s the deal and while bold, it could respond to both teams’ desires. Nash....

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/13/rumor-deal-to-send-nash-to-raptors-could-happen/

via phoenix.fanster.com

If the Cardinals managed to find a way to game plan for and beat Atlanta, they could beat a team with a similar makeup to the Falcons right?

If that theory holds true, the Cards and their fans just may be in luck. That’s because the Carolina Panthers look an awful lot like Atlanta.

The obvious similarities are the two teams play in the same division and finished with identical 8-4 conference records. The Falcons were a team that relied on a running back tandem, Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, to carry the load, a quarterback, Matt Ryan, who could protect the ball and make a play when necessary, a talented wide receiver, Roddy White, to spread the field and a defense built around a strong pass rusher, John Abraham. Now fast forward to this week’s opponent. In the Panthers,....

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/06/panthers-and-falcons-oddly-similar/

We here at Fanster.com are proud to announce that Kurt Warner, starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, is the recipient of our “Fanster.com Phoenix Athlete of the Year” award. Warner becomes the first Arizona athlete to receive the award for his performance in 2008, throwing for 4,583 yards, 30 touchdowns and leading the Cardinals to their first division title since 1975. Warner’s 2008 numbers were his best since 2001 when he threw for 4,830 yards and 36 touchdowns, and was named the MVP of the NFL, and led the St. Louis Rams to an NFC Championship.

Chris McGrath / Getty Images

Kurt Warner: 2008 Phoenix Athlete of the Year

The award winner was selected by a vote of influential Phoenix media members and bloggers including Mark Asher, Dave Burns and John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR, Dan Hilton of Suns.com, Vince Marotta of Fanster.com, Kevin McCabe of AM 1060 The Fan and Darren Urban of AzCardinals.com. All voters ranked their top five professional or amateur athletes in Phoenix in 2008. A first place vote was worth 5 points, 4 points for a second-place vote, 3 points for a third-place vote, 2 points for a fourth-place vote, and 1 point for a fifth-place vote......

For the next five days everyone will be telling you why the Arizona Cardinals don’t have a chance to win against the Carolina Panthers. What about the reasons why they could pull the upset? Here are five reasons why you may be able to celebrate a Cardinals’ victory on Saturday night.

5) The Role of Underdog

With the exception of diehard Cardinals’ fans, no one expects the Redbirds to pull off the upset in Carolina Saturday night. That role suited the Cardinals just fine on this past weekend as the national media and odds makers picked Atlanta to win. Although the Cardinals shouldn’t need motivation, being overlooked can help this young team gain that little extra focus needed to win on the road. Not to mention that with Carolina being a 9.5 point favorite, the largest spread of the weekend, the Panthers may be looking forward to the NFC Championship Game rather than taking care of business at home.

4) Every streak has to come to an end

The Cardinals are 0-5 in games east of the Mississippi this year and 2-19 over the last 6 seasons, while the Panthers are 8-0 at home this year. Not encouraging stats when you think about it, but every streak has to come to an end right? ....

//Read the rest here: http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/05/5-reasons-the-cardinals-could-shock-the-nfl-world/

Washed up. Unmotivated. Lazy. Finished.

All terms used to describe Shaquille O’Neal upon his arrival in Phoenix. Luckily for Suns fans, someone forgot to send the memo to Shaq–or they did send it and Shaq didn’t like what he heard.

While his retirement is just 545 days away (Thanks to BrightSideoftheSun.com’s retirement countdown) Shaq is playing like the calendar reads 2004.

Whether it’s the Suns training staff, or a renewed desire to prove he is the best center of all time, Shaq has gone from an old man running out the clock on his career to being a difference maker in the Western Conference.

While much has been written about Shaq being a legit all star this year, what about taking it one step further?

Read the Rest:

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2009/01/02/all-star-votes-if-shaq-keeps-it-up-hell-deserve-mvp-votes/

December 22, 2008 by Mark McLane 

Christmas Day will be here Thursday and with it, the latest chapter in the Suns/Spurs storied rivalry. As we all know, the Spurs have really done a number on the Suns these last few years, especially in the playoffs. So much in fact, they’ve blurred the lines on whether this matchup really constitutes a rivalry.

This year’s game feels different though, and even if the Suns had come out on top in just one of those playoff series, the grudge still wouldn’t be quite as intense.

Coach D’Antoni left for the bright lights of New York City, and took the soul of this rivalry with him.

Suns/Spurs was much more than two teams with a mutual dislike for each other, their matchups coming when the stakes were highest. The rivalry wasn’t Tim Duncan hitting the most improbable three of improbable threes, or Robert Horry hip-checking Steve Nash into the scorer’s table with the game well in hand.

To be sure, these were memorable moments and plays none of us will soon forget, but the rivalry and grudge stemmed from style more than personnel.

D’Antoni’s running and gunning Suns were the polar opposite to Popovich’s slow and methodical Spurs, the yin to his yang, the oil to his water, the Kramer to his Feldman......

Shaq is a Toys-R-Us kid:
According to one of our various correspondents scattered around the Valley Shaq and his wife Shaunie were spotted at the newly improved Scottsdale Pavilions partaking in some Christmas shopping.

Sources tell us that Shaq was purchasing....

Find out what he was buying over at Fanster.com

The picture itself is worth checking out. Enjoy it.

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2008/12/19/shaq-tastic-links-for-your-friday/

via phoenix.fanster.com

The Diamondbacks are on a tight budget this off-season and the economy has hurt every team. That has been the mantra of the Arizona Diamondbacks so far this year and a major reasoning for letting Randy Johnson file for free agency.

One problem, according to reports the Diamondbacks new second baseman Felipe Lopez is worth more than Johnson in the Diamondbacks eyes.

//Read the rest here:

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2008/12/11/felipe-lopez-worth-more-to-the-diamondbacks-than-randy-johnson/

We now know at least one thing, Steve Kerr isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a major trade.

After a week of uninspired play the Suns decided to pull off this seasons version of the Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol. In picking up Jason Richardson from the Charlotte Bobcats for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, Steve Kerr revived the Suns championship dreams. Dreams that had been on life support since last April.

Some will claim of the Suns gave up too much talent by trading Diaw and Bell. Those people would be wrong....

Read the rest here//

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2008/12/10/jason-richardson-to-suns-is-this-years-gasol-to-lakers/

We had a chance to sit down and talk with Darren Urban of AzCardinals.com yesterday and break down the Giants game, the short week, what to expect in Philly, if the Cardinals have turned the corner and other hot topics. He was a great interview and more than willing to take a few minutes to talk with myself and Vince Marotta. Check out what he had to say below.

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2008/11/25/azcardinalscom-darren-urban-stops-by-fanstercom/

Fanster.com had the chance to interview Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Terry Porter, Tom Chambers and more at the 12th annual celebrity waiters event benefiting Suns Nite Hoops. We wanted to share it with you the community of Bright Side of the Sun. We talked everything from the event, to the Suns season to who is the funniest guy on the team. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Suns Celebrity Waiters Happy Hour from Matt Blake on Vimeo.

Reports are that Barnes and Nash have been suspended by the league. Barnes is out 2 games while Nash is out one.

With Barbosa gone because of the passing of his mother and Nash and Barnes suspended, the Suns are going to be extremely short handed.

Dragic is going to have to show some real toughness tonight because he is going to be the main point guard.

Here's the story

[Note by ZonaFlash, 11/14/08 2:10 PM EST ]

Wow, if true, that's more than Cheap Shot Rob got.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/14/08 12:16 PM PST ]

Here's my take on this lifted from the Kings game preview (no, that's not me being lazy - that efficient):

• As for the suspensions, this seems harsh. No punches were thrown. I can see one game each for Barnes and Rafer. Or even two games for Barnes and one for Rafer but I don't think Nash should have been suspended.
• I've thought for awhile now that the league has gone too far in "cleaning up the game". These things are to be expected and my gut reaction is that lawyers and marketing types in NYC are thinking more about the corporate sponsors and rich season ticket holders then about the players and the "normal" fan. That's a topic for another time though.

Saw an interesting article by ValleyofTheSuns.com discussing whether or not Cardinals fans have surpassed Suns fans in how they cheer on their team.

I'm not quite sure I agree with the article as Suns fans have sold out or come close to selling out US Airways Center for years while Cardinals fans haven't always been as adamant about their team (except for the 20,000 that have always shown up even when they weren't winning).

Don't get me wrong Cardinals fans have been impressive this season but have they really surpassed the level of Suns fans? 

I did some research and they are abysmal. They shouldn't be able to stop the Cardinals as they rank towards the bottom of the league. It's just ugly. That's something the return of Matt Hasselback won't fix for them. Hopefully it translates into big numbers for Warner, Boldin and Fitz.

If Warner can get off to a hot start and the Cards can take a big lead it would be nice to see a healthy dose of Hightower and also the ability to rest some guys in the 4th to get ready for the Giants next week. The schedule for the following two weeks is brutal so getting the pass game off to a hot start is vital this week.

http://phoenix.fanster.com/2008/11/13/cardinals-offense-should-have-field-day-with-seahawks/

I'm starting to think that Terry Porter's system will only help Stoudemire part of the time. The big offensive games seem like they will be split between Amare and Shaq. Also the new offense lets opponents defensively focus on Amare more so than the Run and Gun style did.

Also I'm not quite sure that his defense will ever be at the level that an MVP will be expected to be.

Just throwing it out there.

Interesting article on Fanster.com where Vince Marotta breaks down the Sporting News' top 40 wide receivers in the NFL. In the piece SN ranks Fitzgerald the 4th best reciever and Boldin the 8th best (Steve Breston is ranked 28th if you were wondering).

I find it hard to believe that Boldin is only 8th best and Fitz is better than him at this point. Vince even goes as far to say Boldin is the best receiver in the game right now.

Boldin is a game changer and has to be game planned for. I'm not sure guys like. Chad Johnson, who rank ahead of him, are in the same boat