Amar'e Stoudemire: Knicks Star Wants to Go Hunting for LeBron James

New York Knicks superstar Amar'e Stoudemire may have lost his mind. At the very least, his recent comments regarding the Miami Heat's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would lead one to believe that he has.

According to a report from Marc Berman of the New York Post, Stoudemire apparently wants to go hunting for King James and D-Wade down in South Beach. Literally.

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Last night, when rookie Josh Harrellson asked him in the locker room after the preseason win over the Nets where are they going to go hunting, Stoudemire said, “We’re going to hunt in South Florida. You know what we’re going to hunt down there, right? We’re going to hunt LeBron [James] and D-Wade [Dwyane Wade]. I got the rifle, man.”

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Obviously, this was Stoudemire being funny and joking around with the rookie. However, the fact remains that this is not the sort of thing to say in today's sports world.

Saying that you are going to be hunting is one thing—in fact, it is often an expression used in the sporting world.

NFL linebackers go hunting for quarterbacks, teams hunt for the next big superstar in the draft. That much is usually accepted.

Stoudemire took it way overboard, though, when he mentioned a rifle. What's more, I wouldn't be surprised if he faces quite a backlash following the statement.

Guns are a serious issue in today's society and so is threatening somebody with them. 

Please understand that I understand that Stoudemire was joking, but believe me when I tell you that he is going to regret making that joke.

There are far too many people who can be offended by it, and I don't think I need to get into the specifics for you to understand what I'm talking about.

It's a sensitive issue, and the fact that a grown man like Stoudemire could make such a lapse in judgement is pathetic.

How is it that these athletes continue to put their foots in their mouths? Do they not understand that they are very high-profile people and everything they say goes under the microscope?

If they eat a certain type of breakfast in the morning, we know about it. If they are dating somebody new, we know about it. If they make a stupid and insensitive joke regarding a fellow superstar, you best believe we will know about it.

It's baffling.

I'm sure LeBron and D-Wade aren't going to take this literally. I'm sure they will just brush it off. However, that's not the issue here.

I could care less what they feel about Stoudemire, while it may spark a little bit of an on-court rivalry between him and the Heat.

What does matter is the fact that this continues to happen. Stoudemire is not the first high-profile athlete to make a dumb comment, and he certainly won't be the last.

When he mentioned the rifle, he went too far. 

You can dispute it all you want, but I wouldn't be surprised if he came under some sort of disciplinary action because of it.

If he doesn't, he sure deserves to.