NBA Trade Talk: Amare Stoudemire
Amare Stoudemire’s name scorched the NBA trade rumor talks this All Star Weekend. An otherwise lackluster weekend featured the NBA Slam “Flunk” contest, a boring game of horse ending in a 3 point shootout, and the rookies emerging victorious over the sophomores in the Rookie Challenge.
The most excitement came from, other than a 7-player trade between Dallas and Washington, the words “Stoudemire” and “trade” dominating the rumor buzz.
All Star fire sale coming soon to an arena near you. (Credit: picpp.com)
The latest talks have Amare heading to Cleveland, Philadelphia, or Miami. They also involve potential 3-team deals allowing Phoenix to ditch maximum salary while acquiring as much young talent and future draft picks as possible.
Cleveland and Philly have the best assets to swing the deal, but Philly has the one trade chip the Suns covet most: Andre Iguodala. However, talks with Philadelphia have quieted as the Cavs have recently made the more serious offer.
Amare heading to Cleveland in a traditional 2-team deal will not serve the needs of Cleveland or Phoenix well. It actually has me quite puzzled to tell you the truth. Other than a fantasy basketball roster, I can’t see this making the Cavs or the Suns better, other than a last-ditch, proof-of-commitment-brown-nosing-attempt to please LeBron before the summer.
Cleveland wants a stretch 4. Amare is not a stretch 4. He can hit from 15-18 feet, but he is not a deep threat outside compared to Troy Murphy or Antawn Jamison, who consistently drain threes and extend defenses. Stoudemire is a traditional power forward, with an exceptional pick and pop type game.
Cleveland invests their ancient back up center Ilgauskas and promising 21 year-old J.J. Hickson while Phoenix loses a proven big man who works within the “Run n’ Suns” system. Phoenix lives to run, a style of play which Big Z is ill-suited for, end of story.
Hickson, however, could thrive in Phoenix’s uptempo game. I smell a buyout with “Big Z” immediately fleeing back to Cleveland as fast as he can.
The largest concern I have with this deal: slowing the pace will hinder Amare’s game, as it did last year.
When the Suns changed their dynamic to accommodate Shaq, Stoudemire’s numbers dipped significantly. If Danny Ferry thinks he and LeBron James can irradiate Shaq/Amar’e compatibility issues from the ghosts of Phoenix past, then more power to them. With all the marbles on the line, is this deal worth that risk?
The Cavs are banking on Stoudmire’s playoff experience to help their quest to rise out of the east and storm into the finals. Is Big Z, J.J. Hickson and some scraps truly a viable enough solution for Phoenix to pull the trigger? Obviously they need to slash cap room, but with Phoenix currently ranked as the 7th playoff seed, how would the Suns maintain for the remaining 30 odd games left?
The bottom line: Cleveland has the assets to secure the deal, unlike Miami. If Philly makes Andres Iguodala available to Phoenix all other trade discussions will evaporate faster than you can say Samuel Dalembert, whose insanely large contract is undoubtedly being bundled into the deal.
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Mon, Feb 15, 2010 by Adam Sedie
News, Opinions, Rumors, Trades, Transactions