Here We Go.
2009-02-13I’M PUTTING THIS ABOVE THE PICTURE: THE CAVS DO NOT HAVE AMARE STOUDEMIRE.
But it’s become a possibility. According to some rumor mills and some message-board scuttlebutt, Amare could be a Cavalier before the end of the trade deadline. (All message-board scuttlebutt courtesy of realcavsfans.com) Windhorst is on it too, although he’s got a more pessimistic point of view about the realities of the situation.
What’s the deal on the table?
Right now, it looks like the deal is Wally’s expiring contract and JJ Hickson plus a first round pick. That’s more or less what’s been discussed, although the Cavs adding Delonte West with the Suns adding Goran Dragic would work out, as would an add-on package of West and Snow for J-Rich. (RealGM says so, but there might be some weird stuff with J-Rich’s contract and I’m still not sure how the Snow situation works.)
Why is this possible?
Amare is a free agent in the summer of doom, but he’s been vocal about his desire to sign an extension with a team he gets traded to this summer and put his roots down. Basically, he wants wherever he is after the deadline to be his long-term destination. And Portland appears to be out of the running, which basically makes the suitors the Kings, Thunder, Bulls, and Cavaliers at this point. Of those four, only the Bulls and Cavs are not awful (although Westbrook, Durant, Amare, and Jeff Green would be something to behold offensively), and only the Cavs are a contender. And they’re a big-time contender, plus they have that James fella. And we have the big expiring contract and a rookie deal, which means cheapskate Robert Sarver will save as much money as possible.
Just For The Record, How would you feel about this trade?
OH MY GOOD GOD. THIS WOULD BE AMAZING. Amare’s stock has fallen, but remember that this could be one of the best offensive players of ALL TIME. Here’s the list of players who scored as much as Amare Stoudemire with as high of a TS%:
Kevin McHale
Charles Barkley
That’s it. That’s the list. His ability to score in volume with efficiency is unparallelled. And he prefers to work from a pick-and-roll instead of a post-up offense. LeBron happens to love running the pick-and-roll. If teams trap LeBron, you’ve got Amare setting up for a wide-open 18-footer, which he’s as good at as anyone in the league, or rolling to the hole, and watch out for that. They would be absolutely bananas offensively. There is no ceiling. This is a 26-year old forward who would play perfectly off LeBron James who was a top-3 offensive player last season. I can’t even…oh God, this would be amazing. I can’t even write anymore. Nothing will be announced until after the all-star break. Open thread below. I’m shaking. Longest weekend ever coming up.
Like Antawn’s game, like how he meshes, hate the near-max contract that goes through 2012. He’s not getting younger. Don’t pay #2 money to a guy who would be the #4 player on the team.
Word in Cleveland is that Brown and Ferry have brought to the “council of players” of Big Z, Bron, and MoMo the idea of bringing in Antawn Jamison, possibly in the deal Chad Ford suggested on ESPN.com today. That is Szczerbiak for Jamison and Etan Thomas. Jamison is a big time scorer, and he can hit jumpers and 3s. Could fit nicely around LeBron. Maybe even bring Jamison off the bench and keep starting Wallace. Some teams do really well bringning one of their top players off the bench (Manu and the Spurs comes to mind; historically the Celts brought… Read more »
I have to imagine that if the Cavs get Amare, Ferry will have had to of gotten a third team involved with the deal. Wally+JJ+picks(+Varejao)(+Snow) isn’t particularly enticing.
Of course, at 2:55 on Thursday….
Mo “couldn’t play defense” until he came to the Cavs either.
Amare certainly has the athleticism for it – nobody who played in D’Antoni’s PHX was ever encouraged to play any D.
I hope this doesn’t happen. As a phoenix resident, devoted fan of the phoenix Suns. Great for you guys terrible for us. And at the same time what is the point of keeping him with the management we currently have? Maybe we can trade him to you guys and I can just become a Cavs fan.
The last couple weeks have proven that the Cavs need to have an offensive threat at the four spot if they hope to seriously challenge LA, San Antonio, and Boston for the title – Teams that all rely heavily on the offensive production of their power forwards. Imagine the fouls Garnett, Odom, & Duncan would rack up guarding him… Say what you will about his lack of defense, but I believe Mike Brown’s system would vastly improve Amare’s just like it did Mo’s. I’d hate the Cavs to have to lose Delonte in order to make this trade, but it… Read more »
This is the difference between getting Camby and Amare. First of all, I think Camby is out of the question anyway at this point. OK: Amare is a great offensive player. Camby is not, and never will be. Camby is a great defensive player. Amare can become a very good defensive player with a little coaching and effort. Yes, Camby would help this team, but Amare has the potential to raise this team to another level above the other Top 3 which I used to not believe possible. Man i hope this happens
I’m not convinced, especially since he plays no defense and has a reputation for being the antithesis of a team player (the ultimate ‘me’ guy).
What about Camby?!? He would be absolutely perfect…and Sterling would be all about it!