SLAM! Why PHX would trade Amare

[WuRaider]

Links: Amare to Atlanta?

Oh, and KG to Phoenix? As long as Minnesota doesn’t get cold feet…

by Lang Whitaker

We’re in the midst of a heckuva week around here. We just finished SLAM 111, there’s all kinds of Draft festivities going down in and around NYC all week, and then there’s this Draft thing tomorrow night. And man are the rumors flying about that. Lots to get to today…

• About this KG trade stuff…

The latest rumor has Phoenix, Atlanta and Minnesota involved in a trade. Phoenix would get KG, Atlanta would get Amare(!) and Minnesota would get screwed. Well, they’d get two lottery picks, but they’d be giving up KG, which hardly seems fair.

I’m not sure what the true story is here. Someone in the know just emailed me that the Minnesota/Phoenix talks are “total bullsh*t,” though I’ve also heard that there is substance there. I also just spoke to someone who told me it’s close to happening but that Minnesota will probably “get cold feet.”

Good grief I hope not.

Why would the Suns move Amare? I spoke with someone connected in Phoenix yesterday and they explained it this way: Phoenix looks at their window to win a title as the length of Steve Nash’s career. So they want to win it all in the next three or four seasons. When Nash goes, they’re going to have to rebuild anyway, so keeping Amare long-term isn’t all that important to them.

Now, why would you rather have KG than Amare? I was told that Amare isn’t always plugged in on the floor — he might miss a pick here or a roll there. KG would not miss those things. So it’s a matter of becoming a more technically sound team.

Would Amare’s inconsistency matter in Atlanta? Not a bit. Stick him on the Hawks, find a healthy point guard somewhere and you’re looking at an Eastern Conference contender.

Of course, I’m terrified that it’s not going to happen. Please happen. Come on, McHale, you can do it!

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

These guys are slobbering all over themselves....

 

[WuRaider]

If that blurb about Amare is true, the suns need to fire D'Antoni. Nash is an elite player but this is Amare's team. Everyone gets dealt before him. At this point, how many of you would rather build around Nash than Amare?

 

[abomb]

Good assessment. KG > Amare in this situation (ie the closing of Nash's window).

 

[dodie53]

tsk tsk..

 

[RedStorm]

I spoke with someone connected in Phoenix yesterday

I think it was someone in my little girl's first grade class.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Why would the Suns move Amare? I spoke with someone connected in Phoenix yesterday and they explained it this way: Phoenix looks at their window to win a title as the length of Steve Nash’s career. So they want to win it all in the next three or four seasons. When Nash goes, they’re going to have to rebuild anyway, so keeping Amare long-term isn’t all that important to them.

this may be the dumbest thing reported in a voluminous amount of ******** reporting. When Nash goes, they're going to have to rebuild anyway, so keeping a most likely 3-4 time FIRST TEAM ALL-NBA CENTER/PF TO BUILD AROUND WOULDN'T BE ALL THAT IMPORTANT TO THEM?

that's just the height of stupidity.

 

[F-Dog]

When will we hear from the other four Hawks fans, I wonder...

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

If that blurb about Amare is true, the suns need to fire D'Antoni. Nash is an elite player but this is Amare's team. Everyone gets dealt before him. At this point, how many of you would rather build around Nash than Amare?

You can't (re)build around Nash, his remaining time in the league at this level is too short. Replacing Marion with KG is not a rebuild, it is reload. Replacing Amare with KG is a rebuild in a few years, with absolutely no one to rebuild around.

 

[B-Dogg]

Why would we trade the best young Big in the league. It makes no sense, we also take on additional payroll in KG. KG maybe a slightly better player at the moment than Amare but im not so sure that this isnt the year the Amare becomes better, its his second year after the injury he is working his ass off everyday, KG is 31 on probably on the backside of his career, and Amare is not that far away anyways. I would trade Nash before I traded Amare he is a dominant big man who is only 24. Please Dont do it...

 

[tobiazz]

Yet another stupid article. Trading Amare for KG is just like trading Wade or Lebron for Nash. Why would you spend millions extra to have a comparable, much older player. I would never expect the Suns to do such a trade in the past, but I don't trust Kerr very much.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

Yet another stupid article. Trading Amare for KG is just like trading Wade or Lebron for Nash. Why would you spend millions extra to have a comparable, much older player. I would never expect the Suns to do such a trade in the past, but I don't trust Kerr very much.

Not at all. LeBron and Wade don't even play the same position as Nash. I don't get your analogy.

 

[tobiazz]

Not at all. LeBron and Wade don't even play the same position as Nash. I don't get your analogy.

Are you trolling me? Garnett and Stat don't "play the same position" either. Nash, Lebron, and Wade are all the primary ball handlers and leaders on their respective teams. The point of my post is quite clear, evidenced by what I explicitly wrote:

"Why would you spend millions extra to have a comparable, much older player."

 

[azirish]

"Why would you spend millions extra to have a comparable, much older player."

$9 million

 

[DKB]

Yet another stupid article. Trading Amare for KG is just like trading Wade or Lebron for Nash.

Or it could be Lamar and Caron for Shaq. I think the rest is history.

 

[Ryanwb]

Or it could be Lamar and Caron for Shaq. I think the rest is history.

Are you insinuating the Suns would win a fluke championship and then suck? I could live with that... Championship teams should get a 5 pass from the fans for all suckiness that ensues

 

[DKB]

Are you insinuating the Suns would win a fluke championship and then suck? I could live with that... Championship teams should get a 5 pass from the fans for all suckiness that ensues

yeah, it'd be tough to swallow but i'd rather see one championship and have 3 sucky years than 4 2nd round/WCF exits.

 

[azirish]

yeah, it'd be tough to swallow but i'd rather see one championship and have 3 sucky years than 4 2nd round/WCF exits.

But you are more likely to have a WCF exit with those 3 sucky years. The Heat won it all because they were lucky throughout the playoffs and the Mavs imploded. This year they were awful and old.

Giving up a bit of the future is acceptable. Abandoning the future isn't.

 

[slinslin]

yeah, it'd be tough to swallow but i'd rather see one championship and have 3 sucky years than 4 2nd round/WCF exits.

I wouldn't if it cost us Amare. I would rather take my chances with him and fall short even if Garnett guaranteed us one championship before complete rebuilding..

 

[tobiazz]

Or it could be Lamar and Caron for Shaq. I think the rest is history.

Neither Lamar nor Butler were First Team All NBA players. I'm saying you don't trade a young superstar for an old one. You do trade two second tier guys for a superstar.

 

[azirish]

Neither Lamar nor Butler were First Team All NBA players. I'm saying you don't trade a young superstar for an old one. You do trade two second tier guys for a superstar.

It would be different if it was Amare who was demanding a trade, but he isn't.

 

[Cheesebeef]

But you are more likely to have a WCF exit with those 3 sucky years. The Heat won it all because they were lucky throughout the playoffs and the Mavs imploded. This year they were awful and old.

you keep saying this, but it's just ridiculous. Twi years ago, the Heat had the second best record in the league at 59 win and had a 3-2 lead on the Pistons in the ECF before Wade broke some ribs and didn't play Game 6 and could barely move in Game 7. Then, last year, they won 52 games, ran through a 50 win Bulls team, a 64 win Pistons team and a 61 win Dallas team - all in six games or less (THE LAST TWO WITHOUT HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE). You can't be lucky while not even facing a seventh game, without even having homecourt advantage - to say they were is stupifying to me.

you know what would have been lucky? The Suns winning the title last year... starting with coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round, then getting a HUGE break because of seeding and beating a 47 win Clipper team instead of facing the 61 win Mavs team, then having their worst matchup taken out in the second round (the Spurs) and then getting to the Finals where the other horrid matchup (ther Pistons) were already gone as well. That would have been lucky - barley hanging in series against favorbaly seeded opponents and having every really tough matchup taken out before them. Not going through 2 of the top 3 teams in the league, kicking their asses in 6 games, without homecourt.

And to just say they were "awful and old" completely ignores the fact that they WERE INJURED ALL YEAR with Wade and Shaq only playing 15 games together.

 

[azirish]

And to just say they were "awful and old" completely ignores the fact that they WERE INJURED ALL YEAR with Wade and Shaq only playing 15 games together.

Is this really a big surprise? The real shock is that so many of their older guys played as much as they did. This is a team with five guys with 10 years or more in the league and two others with 8 (one Williams played in 61 games).

Was there anything about Shaq's history that suggested he'd stay healthy for an entire year? Wade played a lot in the previous two years, but was rarely at full health.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Is this really a big surprise? The real shock is that so many of their older guys played as much as they did. This is a team with five guys with 10 years or more in the league and two others with 8 (one Williams played in 61 games).

Was there anything about Shaq's history that suggested he'd stay healthy for an entire year? Wade played a lot in the previous two years, but was rarely at full health.

an entire year? No - but Shaq has consistently given at leaast 60 games a year, so yeah, missing an extra 20 on top of that was unexpected. As far as Wade, there was NO reason to believe he'd miss 30 games considering he had played 77 and 75 the two previous years and you're "he was rarely at full health" is just uncorroborated speculation to make your point because it was based on complete falsehoods - which were provable nonetheless. Never understand people making a factual argument that literally isn't based on facts.

 

[azirish]

Cheese, did you watch any Heat games over the last two years?

2005-06 the Heat really struggled until the playoffs when they were finally healthy. This last year they just never got healthy.