It seems these guys running the Suns these days are determined to destroy that once great franchise they have in Phoenix.

After trading away Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Marion, the Suns are once again on the verge of letting another one of the cornerstones of their franchise go this 2010 NBA basketball season. And in case you haven’t heard of the rumors, Amar’e Stoudemire may be on the trading block.

You read it, there are rumors claiming that the Phoenix Suns want to trade Amar’e Stoudemire away before we get to the trading deadline in a few days. The rumors claim that the Suns are shopping Stoudemire around now that he’s an All-Star and, more importantly, healthy.

Also according to the reports, the Suns have been trying to orchestrate a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that will send Amar’e Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa to Philly in exchange for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. Can you believe that? I know the Suns are trying desperately hard to screw themselves over but c’mon, it doesn’t have to be THIS obvious.

Heck, they can also trade Steve Nash to Orlando for J.J. Redick while they’re at it…

We know the starters, now it’s time to find out who got snubbed and who should be there in Dallas.

Every year, the NBA’s midseason extravaganza snubs a few players who fans feel should be in the league’s annual celebration of the brightest stars in the NBA. The 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas is no different.

Let’s start with this one guy who probably got snubbed from the All-Star game this year because of a mug you can’t market ANYWHERE. And in case you didn’t get that, I’m referring to Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman.

This will be the second time the Los Angeles Clippers star got snubbed for the All-Star game. For a guy who looks like a child molester, Kaman is quickly becoming one of the brightest stars in Hollywood. The guy is averaging 20.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He is arguably having the best season of any traditional center in the West and that is why the Clippers, despite all their struggles, are still hanging on for a playoff spot.

Another guy who definitely should be in the All-Star game in Dallas is Chauncey Billups. Having the All-Star game this year without Mr. Big Shot is a travesty, to say the least. He is probably the best point guard in the Western Conference at this point of the season. Hell, he should be there starting for the West instead of Steve Nash in my opinion.

But probably because of the injury that forced him to miss eight games this season, Billups failed to get the fans’ and the coaches’ votes.

”I’m sure it played a role,” Billups said, who just recently broke his career high when he led the Denver Nuggets to a win over the Lakers in Los Angeles…

It’s that time of the year when the NFL concludes its season for the NBA to pick up the slack.

And just like every other year in sports, the NBA will pick up the slack with a bang, kicking off the second half of the season with the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Yes, it’s the East All-Stars going up against the West All-Stars once again as fans voted in who they feel are the five best players in each conference as All-Star starters.

Leading the East All-Stars this year is leading vote-getter LeBron James. The reigning league MVP got 2,549,693 votes this season, becoming the first player in balloting history to draw at least 2.5 million votes on three separate occasions.

James is making his sixth All-Star appearance and will start for the Eastern Conference for the sixth time in his career. Joining James in the East are Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson , the 2001 and 2005 All-Star Game MVP.

Among active players, Garnett’s 13th All-Star selection ranks second to Shaquille O’Neal who has 15. Dwight Howard of…

Sure, he had his glory days with the Titans but the Ravens were the last team to give the guy a chance before his untimely death last Sunday.

In what has been one of the more shocking news of the 4th of July weekend, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was killed in Nashville, Tennessee due to fatal gunshot wounds.

You read it, the NFL lost one of its football heroes last Sunday when McNair, who was 36, was found dead by the police in his condominium in Nashville. McNair was shot four times, twice in the head and twice in the chest.

The police is ruling it a homicide after they found the lifeless body of the former Baltimore Ravens quarterback along with his 20-year-old girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, who was also shot in the head. The police also found a semi-automatic pistol underneath Kazemi’s body.

According to the police, there were no signs of forced entry into the Nashville apartment but they didn’t speculate in their statement on whether Kazumi is believed to have murdered McNair and committed suicide.

”While it is clear McNair’s death is a homicide, the…”

Well, for those of you betting on some future odds on which team can make it anyway.

It’s a footrace for the playoffs with only a handful of games remaining in the 2009 NBA basketball season. And judging by the developments that happened the last few weeks, we still don’t know squat on which teams will qualify for the second season.

One surprising victory or shocking loss could instantaneously shift any team’s probably of making it to the postseason drastically. One classic example is the Charlotte Bobcats. They were a shoo-in for the no.8 seed in the East but after they lost to Minnesota, they’re now looking at an early vacation, especially after the Bulls, their main rivals for the no.8 spot, surprisingly beat the New Orleans Hornets easily a few days ago.

The Philadelphia 76ers are also making some huge steps for the postseason. A few days ago, they were nowhere near as locks for the playoffs but after solid wins over Chicago and Miami, they have improved their odds at 87.2 percent.

The Boston Celtics were also in for a ride the last few weeks. Earlier into the season, it seemed Boston will once again secure the overall no.1 seed in the playoffs.

But after the injury to Kevin Garnett and a shocking loss to the…

Shaq still got it. And for non-believers, Shaq has this to say, ”It’s what I do. I’ve been doing it since 1992. If you don’t believe it, Google me.”

Yes, Shaq just scored his second huge game of the 2009 NBA basketball season. After coming up with a massive 45-point performance against the Raptors last Friday, the Big Aristotle, Shaq-tus, or whatever it is he calls himself these days, scored 33 points to help the Suns finally beat the Lakers for the first time in four tries.

And as expected, the seven-foot, 300-pound mammoth of the Phoenix Suns has more than a few words to say about it. Hell, after a performance like that, that mammoth has every right to talk about it as much as he wants, as long as he still can.

”A lot of people thought I lost it,” Shaquille O’Neal said. ”It’s kind of funny to me, when I say ‘I’m injured,’ no one believes me. Last year I was injured and this year I’m feeling pretty good.”

After beating the Los Angeles Lakers, he should feel pretty good. After all, Shaq was without teammates Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire and being the focal point of the team’s offense last Sunday at this point of his career was sure nice for a veteran trying to salvage what’s left of his playing days.

Was Shaq last Sunday the same dominant center he was once when he was still playing in LA? Kobe Bryant felt otherwise, although he admits that Shaq has…

It’s that time of the year again when NBA teams start clamoring for last minute roster adjustments to make a push for the title.

You read it, the trading deadline of the 2009 NBA basketball season is today and just like last year, we have quite a few names being mentioned as likely candidates to have a different uniform before March.

Many sources say that the Chicago Bulls are open for business. Larry Hughes, who was placed on the inactive list after 10 consecutive DNP-CDs, has been openly shopped.

Ben Gordon, an unrestricted free agent after the season, can’t be traded without his consent while Drew Gooden doesn’t have the same option and is attractive to teams because of his $7.2 million expiring contract.

That’s probably why he got traded already for Sacramento’s Brad Miller.

Another team that will likely be doing some changes in their current roster is the Houston Rockets. Tracy McGrady is grounded as a rocket this year and with the exception of a deep playoff run, this could be McGrady’s final season in Houston.

McGrady will make $23.2 million in the last year of his contract next season, and…

Clear $40 million off the payroll, that’s what the Suns management aims to do before the trading deadline.

It seems the current economic situation has finally gotten the best of the Phoenix Suns this 2009 NBA basketball season. With an underachieving set of guys who continues to feed off the city’s annual income, thanks to a whopping $75 million payroll, one team’s GM claimed that the Suns’ goal in the next two weeks before the trading deadline was to clear $40 million off the 2009-10 income.

With the current financial crisis and the team still falling behind the Western Conference, it finally seemed illogical for the Phoenix Suns organization to keep all of their big (and expensive…) assets intact.

According to some sources, EVERY PLAYER NOT NAMED STEVE NASH on the Suns roster is now being made available for trade transactions. At the center of it all is Amare Stoudemire, despite being voted in this year as a starting forward for the 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars.

The Suns are also open to the idea of dealing Shaquille O’Neal, another guy who got the go for the All-Star game this year in Phoenix. And with the way he has been playing recently…

And by friends, we mean guys who let us do what we do best with cash, money and dough.

And in case you’ve been living under a rock lately, the Super Bowl is over, NCAA basketball is really heating up and we’ve reached the mid-point of the NBA season, which means it’s time for the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend on the pro circuit.

THAT means while the East and the West go at it this Sunday in the official NBA All-Star game, there is action and festivities all weekend long. In case you’re keeping track, the East has the edge straight up in terms of All-Star game records going 35-22 against the West overall.

Other attractions during All-Star weekend, which takes place in Phoenix, Arizona this year, include the skills showcase. But of course, one of the biggest draws remains to be the Slam Dunk competition. Who can forget Vince Carter’s reverse, windmill slam back in 2000 in Oakland or Steve Nash’s soccer header to Amare Stoudemire in 2005?

The 2009 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest will see Orlando’s Dwight Howard defending his 2008 title. Last year, one of Howard’s notable dunks saw the center don a Superman shirt and cape and leap from the free throw line. He is…

We are still a full season and a half away from the summer of 2010 but that can’t stop us from raving about it.

After all, the summer of 2010 will probably have the MOST number of superstars landing on a new team. One of which is of course, LeBron James. Many basketball fans are already wondering if he’ll stay in Cleveland regardless of what he can accomplish with them this 2009 NBA basketball season or the next. And even if he decides to stay in Cleveland, there are still some big names left on the 2010 free agency pool who can create headlines the moment they decide to sign with a different team.

NBA superstars who will have their contracts expire next year include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd.

And since we have quite a number of unrestricted free agents next year, we’ll just stick with four superstars who’ll definitely have an impact to any team that they decide to play for next if they do decide to move, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and yes, LeBron James.

So who’ll be more likely to stay with their current team and who are those…