Amare Stoudemire Becoming More And More Available, And Bulls Should Inquire
Last night in their loss against the Clippers, as the Bulls were just launching and missing shot after shot in the third quarter and early in the fourth before they started screening and driving to get easier buckets, one thought popped into my head: “If only this team had more of an inside scoring threat.”
Amare Stoudemire could be that guy.
Now, I know Stoudemire really isn’t a back-to-the-basket-post-up player, but he’s highly effective in the pick-and-roll, something he could run nice with Derrick Rose. He gets fouled a lot. And with Shaq now in Cleveland and Stoudemire’s scary retina injury not being an issue this season, he’s returned to form, scoring 21 points a night and grabbing 8.7 boards. Couple him together down low with Joakim Noah, and that’s a nice one-two punch. Chris Bosh is still the preferred choice, because he is more a guy you can dump it down to and let him create in the post, but Stoudemire might be an easier get for the Bulls.
Here’s why: At the start of the NBA season, the Suns were hot, and with Alvin Gentry steering the ship, they’ve returned to that up-tempo brand of ball that made them famous under Mike D’Antoni.
But they’ve cooled off a bit of late — losers of 15 of their last 26 — and where it once seemed like Stoudemire would not get moved before the trade deadline, as the team would ride it out with him and hoped he re-signed over the summer, it’s now starting to turn the other way. Chad Ford has been all over the Stoudemire news this week, and here’s a few bullet points:
1) The Suns are worried he’s going to sign in a bigger market this offseason — CHICAGO? — so they may trade now to get value back.
2) He thinks there’s a 40-50 percent chance he gets dealt before the Feb. 18 deadline.
3) He wrote today that “word out of Phoenix is that there has been some tension in the locker room involving Stoudemire.”
Now, of course, the Bulls shouldn’t swing a trade for Stoudemire unless they get a guarantee he’ll re-sign with them after the season. But the Bulls could at least offer a decent, but not great, package: Tyrus Thomas could be a nice fit in the Suns’ offense as his game would feast off of Steve Nash, and I suppose they could also bring aboard Kirk Hinirch, because Nash isn’t getting any younger. It’s a trade that works salary-wise, so that’s nice.
So yeah: completely hypothetical at this point, but it’s something that could potentially work.
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That knocks Cpt Kirk and (likely) Dent most out of the deal and you'll probably have to include 2010 1st rd pick as well as some combination of Noah or Taj or James Johnson (if he's shown much potential??) as well as the expirings of TT, James and/or Brad Miller
Basically wishful thinking unless Bulls want to do the nuclear option and pray that a core of Rose + Amare + Deng is championship caliber
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Let's talk Kirk Hinrich, Deng/Noah and a first round 2010 pick.
We are not trading Amare for cast-offs and second stringers
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