Jason Kempin - Getty Images for Manhattan Autom
According to John Finger of CSN Philly, the Sixers called the New York Knicks regarding the availability of Amar'e Stoudemire:
According to a league source, the Sixers have inquired about Stoudemire, though it was categorized as "due diligence." Nothing is said to be imminent or even in the early stages other than just talk, the source said.
The Sixers would undoubtedly have to part with valuable assets, whether they be players or draft picks, to pull off a trade for Amar'e. This for a guy who, including this season, still has four years and approximately 83 million dollars left on his contract.
The 29 year old Amar'e has been an inefficient offensive player for the 7-12 Knicks this season, with a PER barely above average at 15.1 and a true shooting percentage under .500. The most frustrating part of his offensive game is his shot selection, where he ranks 11th among all big men in attempts from 16-23 feet – the dreaded long two pointer. The only "big men" who shoot more long twos then him are: Andrea Bargnani, Byron Mullens, LaMarcus Aldridge, Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dirk, Garnett and Andray Blatche.
When Amar'e isn't producing offensively, especially with the amount of possessions he uses, he's basically rendered useless. He's an average defender, at best, and a below average rebounder. 17 million is a lot of money to pay a guy who's inefficient on offense, average on defense and below average on the glass. His best days are clearly behind him.
Is Amar'e a big name? Yes. Can he be a great scorer? Absolutely. Is he fun to watch? Sometimes. Does he fit the Sixers? No, in no way, shape or form. This team is built on chemistry, defense and unselfishness, and lacks "a closer" and a big man who can protect the basket. Not only does Stoudemire weaken the team's strengths, but he does nothing to fill either role the Sixers need. Pair that with his contract, injury history and the fact that the Sixers would have to part with assets to acquire his services ... the idea of the Sixers trading for Amar'e is bad news all around.
The last thing this team needs to is be saddled with the massive contract of another aging, quasi-star at power forward who can't carry a team offensively or defensively anymore. Just cause he's a big name doesn't mean he's worth it.
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0 recs | 94 comments
We don’t need him, it would not make any basketball sense. Let’s move on and focus on the tough schedule ahead.
apfan - January 29, 2012
I agree
100% with everything in this post. In addition to the fact that he’s been oft-injured over the course of his career, there’s the fact that he had microfracture surgery on his knee a few years back – those are the kind of knee issues that can rear up and derail a guy’s career at any time. IIRC the Knicks could not get the contract they signed him to insured, which is a bad sign.
It’s only worth blowing up the team they have now if they get a legit difference-making franchise caliber player back in the deal (e.g. Dwight Howard). A’mare is not that anymore, if he ever was.
Xeynon - January 29, 2012
As long as we don’t have to part with Dre, ET, Jrue, Thad, & maybe Lou I’d be fine but like Jordan said don’t know if Amar’e fits in with this team
KJ Brophy - January 29, 2012
ha.
Michael Levin - January 29, 2012
Yeah it was pretty much my way of saying no thanks
KJ Brophy - January 30, 2012
He is better than any big that we currently have.
Give away Brand, Noch, and some pics and you have a deal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucUnSUuqkWQ
N4S - January 29, 2012
WHy would the Knicks do that?
JasonB - January 29, 2012
Trade
I’m a Knicks fan, and I’d give Stat up in a trade for one because of his Knee history, free up money, and get a PF who can also play defense. For as much as offense he may bring, he is horrible on defense and rebounding…. If I am Knicks management I bring Orlando in the equation for a 3 team trade.
3 team trade:
Orlando: Tyson Chandler, Evan Turner… Orlando sends Philly & NY a 1st Round Pick.
76ers: Amare, Fields & Tony Douglas
Knicks: Howard & Jrue Holiday
I’m a Knick fan so I def would luv a made up trade as such.LOL
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
Holiday and Turner are our best prospects :(
I was going to berate you for this trade until I saw the last sentence
tst29 - January 29, 2012
LOL
If the Sixers were to do such a trade, That would be horrible for Philly
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
Honestly tho
I’d take Brand to slide in the Amare’s PF position… and possibly try and land Iggy. Not sure why Philly would want to mess with what they have now but they must feel they need a Star to bring them to that next level from a leadership standpoint…
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
tst29 - January 29, 2012
tst29 - January 29, 2012
what the sixers need is an aging “star” with glass knees, and what the knicks need is to completely butt rape orlando and philly with that horrible trade proposal.
jefu - January 29, 2012
I can’t see Amare being a “leader.”
yosoysean - January 29, 2012
this is a rare scenario in which every team gets worse in my opinion. orlando loses howard (and hopes of resigning) AND 2 first rounders to have Chandler and Turner. Knicks give up just about all the depth they have to get jrue and dwight, neither of which would have back-ups at all immediately. and the 76ers get a replacement power forward, another turner without the upside, and a shoot-first guard. and as bad as orlando would be, the picks probably still wouldn’t be lottery.
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
The Knicks have no depth. Howard and Jrue are huge improvements over Chandler and Douglas.
The Knicks would make out like bandits. Howard-Melo-Jrue.
tst29 - January 29, 2012
I agree with some of this.
Amare is the type of big who needs and excels with a good passing PG who can run the pick n’ roll/pick n’ pop with him. He had this in Phoenix with Nash (when Shaq wasn’t standing in the way) and with Raymond Felton in NY before he was traded with every other player on the roster for over-hyped Carmelo Anthony.
Currently, I think Amare’s stats are down becuase there is no real point guard on the Knicks, and they have a big in Chandler who only knows how to stand in the paint and is practically useless from ten-feet out.
More so, Amare can hit the long-jumper, but it needs to be both in combination with his driving to the basket via pick n’ roll and he needs a good PG to set him up with good passes.
I think this is really hurting his game this year. The fact that he’s a below-average defender/rebounder only adds on to his woes. Of course, the uninsured contract and injury history don’t help either.
Regardless, I think he could excel on a team with Jrue who could (should?) set him up with nice passes. However, that contract makes me want to vomit, so I’ll pass.
jefu - January 29, 2012
Agree with what you said about his offense, but A) he’s not getting any younger and B) He’ll never put up 07-08 numbers again. Plus, I don’t want another guy who shoots more jumpers than he should.
Jordan Sams - January 29, 2012
I think he’s shooting more jumpers because he’s not getting set-up to drive to the basket. Let’s not mistake that when he does drive he’s a great finisher
Nevertheless, you’re right. He’s not getting any younger. Perhaps his knees are aging even more rapidly than he is.
jefu - January 29, 2012
Dont get me wrong
Stat is in decline and I hate his guts but his numbers beforE melo got there were off the charts. I guy doesnt drop off in production just because of age and 29. Its no coincidence that he loses 12ppg when the worlds best ball hog joins his team. plus he needs a good point guard which he also lost in the melo trade and then they cut billups. he will put up 25ppg and 8reb for you guys. But hes just not worth a max 4 year deal when hell only be around for 2
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
Yes they do.
yosoysean - January 29, 2012
Not that much. He went from mvp canidate to scrub overnite
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
Stat
He’s not on the decline because of his age… Before the Melo trade, he was dominant because he had a PG in Felton who could run the Pick n Roll and defenders had to respect Felton going to the lane and we had outside shooters. Post Melo trade, we have no PG who threatens driving to the basket or that knows how to run the Pick n roll… He’s a superstar when he has a smart true PG to play with, but close to average when he doesn’t. That said, I’m a Knick fan, and hey, the sooner we can get rid of uninsured knees of Stat, the better… Wouldn’t want my team to be on the hook for all that money if something were to happen…
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
Wouldn’t you want to see what the team can do once Davis is healthy and you have a PG again?
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
Let’s be careful not to undervalue Amare too much. He’s an incredible shot creator and scoring threat when given the ball on the low post. That being said: DO NOT make this trade. The sixers are cruising right now and Amare would reinvent the team. Plus you’ll have to give Knicks a lot. Plus, youll provide Knicks with opportunity to turn their season around. Most of all, his knees are made of glass, and he’s one bad fall from an 18 month recovery from major surgery.
Blunt Philly Guy - January 29, 2012 via iPhone app
uhmmm
Shot creator, I doubt it… Have u seen him playing this season? No PG and he’s average, Sorry.
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
The good news is,
At least the front office is actively thinking about making a move at some point before the trade deadline.
highwaterhello - January 29, 2012
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2g7mdt9
How many game lead do we have? According to Hollinger it’s’ a +4 for them and a -3 for us… hahaha
pb111 - January 29, 2012
THe worst part of this trade wouldn’t even be the potential to hurt the Sixers, it would be the great help to the Knicks.
JasonB - January 29, 2012
This.
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
In a word……no.
Justin F. - January 29, 2012
Suns fan here
Yall are smart. New york fans are dumb as hell for wanting him at that price. And now they are paying. Thats why we only wanted to give him 4 years which was a stretch because our med staff sais his knees were good for 3 years at most. but he wouldnt listen and had to go be Mr. big shot and now we suck, they suck steve nash has no ring and pretty soon Amare will have no career. Now the knicks wanna try and trade him for your team that you built from the ground up the right way They tried to buy a championship and now theyve got buyers remorse. My only regret is that we didnt trade his ass when we had the chance.
That is all
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
Lesson #1
Always trust the opinions of fans who watched Player X on a nightly basis.
Jordan Sams - January 29, 2012
LOL
No, the Sixers trying to trade for him if you read it correctly. That said, Players will go after the money, its a business… If the Knicks are able to trade Amare, then the Suns ultimately look real dumb for not trading him before the deadline last season.LOL I wonder what the Suns will look like when Nash leaves.
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
Nash is a shell of his former self. Pheonix could have offered Amare the most money. I don’t know what happened- either Pheonix didn’t offer him the max or Amare wanted to be in NY.
tst29 - January 29, 2012
Stat
The Knicks gave Stat more yrs on his contract then Suns were willing to give
nyfinest314 - January 29, 2012
Yea we gave him the money and years
But the last year or 2 wasnt guranteed becausr that’s when his decline was going to happen. And steve nash leads the league in assist with a crap squad. Shell of his former self?
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
wait, what’s the topic of this comment again?
jefu - January 29, 2012
Response
Stat
Michael Levin - January 29, 2012
you read my mind.
jefu - January 29, 2012
your beer must taste
BITTER.
wilddre22 - January 30, 2012
So if the trade is
Brand for Amare straight up, would you guys do it? I think I would. Not sure who we could get that is better in that spot. Plus if his knee falls off we still could amnesty him.
Dpez71 - January 29, 2012
If we were to trade for Amar’e we wouldn’t be able to amnesty him. I’d definitely consider the Brand/Amar’e swap but we are almost out of Brand’s contract so I don’t know
KJ Brophy - January 29, 2012
I thought you could amnesty anyone under contract prior to the lockout. Even if that player came to you via a trade?
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
you can’t amnesty a player acquired in a trade from this season onward.
jefu - January 29, 2012
That's what I thought as well
The issue is this, with that Brand contract almost up and the ability to amnesty it in the off season if needed, what realistic options are better than Amare for the PF or C position. I looked at the 2012 free agent class and the option isn’t there. Is there going to be a better big man available for a trade a year from now? I think it’s doubtful.
Dpez71 - January 29, 2012
Better offensively? No.
Better defensively? Yes.
Doug likes defense.
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
I dont watch the 6ers often
Is brand that bad at D. Because Amare is a sieve on defense and doesnt rebound.(well for a 6-10 pf)
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
No Brand isn’t bad on D, at all. He isn’t as great by any means but he at least gives effort. Amare never does.
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
EB seems to have bought into Dougie’s defensive style of play too. Based on watching him this season, he gives much more effort playing defense than he does scoring these days.
teezy33 - January 29, 2012
As someone whose second favorite team is the Suns I can tell you all about Amare. Excellent talent. When he isn’t hurt. I think he could do well here because he is the type of guy who needs to, and wants to be the man. It’s why he left Phoenix. Ironically enough, he wants to be the man but he wants his own three headed monster like what the Heat have. That never made any sense to me. Now he is, presumably stuck in NY on a team with a guy like Melo who takes games over, and not just because he scores but because everything runs through him. It’s why the Nuggets are better without him and why the Knicks still suck.
Is Amare better than Hawes and Vuc and Battie and every other big on the team? Yes. Is he worth the cabbage? No.
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
depends on the type of cabbage. Napa valley cabbage is pretty tasty.
jefu - January 29, 2012
4 years 80 million cabbage
With no defense
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
Thats not entirely true
Before the Melo trade happened, Amar’e was quoted a few times as saying that we had a great team and that we didn’t need to trade for Melo so much so that Melo took offense and felt he wasn’t wanted.
ubd - January 29, 2012
Hey may have not wanted Melo, but he wanted to be with stars. So much so that he invited himself to Lebron’s All Star Summit that he held a few years ago before he signed with Miami.
EREX21 - January 29, 2012
Hahaha oh yea "invitited himself"
He thought he had a chance of ending up with one of rhem.bturned out wade bosh and lebron had already decided to team up months, mayne even years before that
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
that's not true at all
got a link to back this up?
wilddre22 - January 30, 2012
Amar’e has immaculate fashion sense. For some reason this holds weight in the NBA, and therefore we should make it priority #1 to trade for Amar’e and his #swag.
Scott Kenny - January 29, 2012
He can’t surpass Hawe’s eye for swank-looking luggage.
jefu - January 29, 2012
The highlight of the lockout!
Michael Levin - January 29, 2012
Hate hate hate
Statistically speaking, is Amare even that much better than Brand? I don’t have the best of handles on the advanced stats yet – is win share equivalent to baseball’s WAR and would that essentially render the PG comparison between the Suns and Knicks unnecessary (looking at the numbers this doesn’t seem to make sense)?
Anyway, the rest of the numbers and stats seem to show that while Amare is better than Brand on offense, he isn’t that much so that it would be worth losing the better defense that Brand brings?
TwistyWristy - January 29, 2012
What the said
Amare never played D for us(suns) not even in the WCF. What makes you tjink hell start now for a city he doesn’t desire to be inonot knocking philly btw its my hometown )
phxpurple - January 29, 2012 via Android app
i dont know where to start or end with this.
for me, if they aren’t willing to do it for brand, the two second rounders and the speights cash, which they wouldn’t be, then its a no go on our side. we simply dont have the talent to give up without jeopardizing our depth and amare, as much as he walks on water without making waves, just doesn’t provide much more than a ball sponge who will take 20 shots and not make much of a difference defensively. to me, brand is a smarter player, more unselfish player, and obviously familiar with our system. i dont think you risk chemistry for this.
if they want iguodala, its a deal breaker. amare is not a franchise-changer as he has proven in the big apple.
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
Yeah I’m not into it.
jrb5094 - January 29, 2012
No way
Unless Amare for Brand straight up and amare agrees to restructure his deal for us, which is to say never, because there is no way the Knicks or Amare agree to that. Ideally, the Sixers would be getting a shot-blocking C (samuel dalembert, but with a brain) and moving Hawes to PF to replace Brand. It would be nice to have amare (or even better a younger PF who can score and grab 6-10 rebounds a game like Aldridge) on this team instead of brand, but I just don’t think its a positive move for this team to do midseason, and that they shouldn’t be giving up much in this deal. Right now, if the sixers play just .500 the rest of the season, they will get to 37-29. Boston would have to go 28-20 while missing their only good player under 35 for a month of the season to tie that. The Knicks and Nets would have to go 30-16. the rest of the way. If the Sixers can win 3 or 4 of the next seven games, I think we can safely predict they will win the Atlantic.
Dan Pearson - January 29, 2012
I was thinking yes originally and then I thought of the contract. Why would the Sixers waste a third of their salary cap on Amare? The only way I would do this is if Dwight for some reason wanted to play with Amare.
76ersloyal - January 29, 2012
If we acquire Amare you can waive goodbye to any Dwight Howard pipe dreams.
tst29 - January 29, 2012
Wake up, fellow sixers fans (as well as fans of Nets, et all). With Howard’s post-hoops ambitions, he’s a lock for Lakers. With the way they’re playing now, Kobe will do anything to recruit him. And with Bynum, they’d be clear favorites to bring the championship back to LALa Land. I hate it, too.
Blunt Philly Guy - January 29, 2012 via iPhone app
Don’ tyou mean Gasol?
tst29 - January 29, 2012
No thank you. I want a Big that plays defense.
Ben16 - January 29, 2012
Magic's Top Five:
Heat
Bulls
Pacers
Celtics
Hawks
Lmao.
CentralCaliRox - January 29, 2012
That’s the kind of reason TNT replaced him with Webber
Blunt Philly Guy - January 29, 2012 via iPhone app
TNT didn’t replace him he left because he wanted to cover the finals he said
KJ Brophy - January 29, 2012
So he said…
Blunt Philly Guy - January 29, 2012 via iPhone app
“They haven’t beaten anyone” ….except 2 of Magic’s top 5.
yosoysean - January 29, 2012
Yeah but Horford and Granger and other excuses…
jefu - January 29, 2012
You also have to remember that when Horford comes back………oh wait
tst29 - January 29, 2012
If he put the Celtics and Magic ahead of us I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But the Pacers and the Hawks? Come on.
tst29 - January 29, 2012
someone smack the shit out of magic johnson and jon barry’s old asses for sitting there and disrespecting their own basketball knowledge on national television, please and thank you in advance.
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
Comment form posting and toasting-
LMFAO
I’m so happy that he would consider trading us Amare for Jrue and Iggy.
tst29 - January 29, 2012
they should take back what philly is trying to unload because the knicks are a mess of a franchise and need to blow up their roster.
jefu - January 29, 2012
LMFAO at that.
Do. Not. Want.
mrprice33 - January 29, 2012
shit, the knicks need be trying to unload whatever they have with their below .500 asses
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
Hey guys,
To be fair, the National Media says they’re knowledgable fans. All of them. The whole island. Even the GM.
Naismithball - January 30, 2012
I love Amare and he was in he MVP running before the Melo trade
but that contract is too brutal. This team is built to get a player in free agency within the next two years not through trades.
xEgan - January 29, 2012
Are ET’s real or fashion?
tk76 - January 29, 2012
But they need this guy with glasses and not Amare:
tk76 - January 29, 2012
ET’s are prescription. iggy’s dont even have lenses all the time.
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
hmm, he did get lasik surgery in the off season, and that picture is from at least last season.
jefu - January 29, 2012
Way to ruin my weekend with this post…
BrandonB - January 29, 2012
just out of curiosity…
what is “due diligence”?
do teams ordinarily text other execs like “hey bff would ya be willing to trade pavlovic?”
J.Michael Woodson - January 29, 2012
yes. watch moneyball.
jefu - January 29, 2012
havent had the pleasure yet i’m sure its a great film
J.Michael Woodson - January 30, 2012
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