Just days after claiming that rookie sensation Amare Stoudemire should be an All-Star, Suns guard Stephon Marbury used the high-schooler's stellar performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Marbury's ex-team, to fuel a personal vendetta.

After the rivalry had been rather timid in their first eight meetings competing in differing uniforms, number nine would certainly be one to remember.  Steve Aschburner of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that after scoring 38 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a losing effort against Kevin Garnett and the Wolves, Marbury went out of his way to talk up his rookie while belittling Garnett at the same time.

Marbury has been taking great pleasure in the fact that Stoudemire's rookie numbers at this point are superior to those of Garnett in his rookie year, with Garnett also jumping from high school directly to the NBA while, according to Aschburner, being the first player in two decades to do so.  Garnett has since gone on to become a superstar in the league, but Marbury believes the better player resides in Arizona.

"It's not even close," said Marbury. "He [Garnett] doesn't even compare to Amare. It's two different people. It's like Michael Jordan and Mario Elie. . . . Not to take anything away from Kevin. Kevin was a great talent coming out of high school. But this kid is like a kid you see every 15, 20 years."

So Garnett is a Mario Ellie type talent while Stoudemire is like Jordan?  Marbury did not stop there, accusing Garnett of being "scared to death" to defend Stoudemire. "I know Kevin wants to guard the best player, but tonight it seemed a little like he was fading away."

When Garnett was played the comments moments later in the Timberwolves lockerroom he appeared embarrassed but soon gave comment.

"Son is good. We didn't underestimate him," Garnett said of Stoudemire. "But this ain't even about the young fella. This is about Steph being jealous again. From Day 1."

"I was telling Rod [Strickland] the story -- how crazy it was, our paths split and I [dealt] with it, but in the back of his mind, I'm still on his mind. Of all the [stuff] he's got to worry about, I'm on his mind."

"He's using the young fella to come at me," he said. ". . . This is Steph being jealous. This is Steph."

"You all know this. From New Jersey. From him leaving here, which was a great situation, and him never recouping from that. . . . What is this going to gain? He want some more air time on ESPN or something?"

"I won tonight," Garnett said. "Since he left, I've been in the playoffs. [Stuff] speaks for itself. I guess he wants to be me."

". . . Anyone who's followed Steph's career, ever since he left Minnesota, he's been in envy of -- for whatever reason -- Kevin Garnett. It's kind of funny. Out of all the things -- three kids, big family, a wife, bills -- but I'm on his mind every day. It's kind of flattering. It's like a girl. I'm on his mind like a girl."

The year might be over, but a new war has just been born.