Should you kinda sorta hope the Cavs do get Amare?
(Jonathan Mannion/dimemag.com)
Dallas– Probably you hear about Cleveland’s pursuit of Amare Stoudemire and figure that if that deal with Phoenix gets done, whatever chance the Hawks had of toppling the Cavs disappears unless the Hawks also make an unexpected big move (or at least a move for a big).
After all, if Cleveland adds Amare andthen as expected brings back Ilgauskas after the Suns buy him out, those two plus Shaq would give the Cavs three long big men in the pivot (four if you count Varejao). That’s three or four better options than the Hawks if you consider Horford to really be a four, which he is (Amare is the same height as Al but probably plays bigger).
Here in Dallas, though, there is some head-scratching about why the Cavs are considering the move even beyond Stoudemire’s ability to opt out of his contract after this season. For one, Cavs coach Mike Brown is a Popovich disciple, which means he wants to win with rugged team defense, and that’s not Amare’s thing. For that matter, I also couldn’t see Stoudemire fitting in with another suitor, the Heat, which also has an obsessive culture of defensive effort and intensity. Amare tends to shut down if he’s not getting his touches so maybe he doesn’t buy into that culture.
In addition to Amare’s sometimes-casual approach to D, there’s the tricky matter of pairing Amare with Shaq, which CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger notes already failed once in Phoenix. That has some in the Cleveland organization freaking out about a possible chemistry issue if the deal is done, Berger writes:
According to sources, there’s a fear among some members of the Cavs’ organization that, while Stoudemire would be a good long-term pairing with LeBron, incorporating him on the floor with Shaq might present too difficult an adjustment for the rest of the season. In Phoenix, Shaq and Stoudemire were unable to make the low-post, high-post thing work – and that was with a world-class point guard, Steve Nash. With the Cavs, Shaq and Amar’e clogging the middle might frustrate LeBron and turn him into too much of a jump shooter.
So why would the Cavs, who are rolling right now, risk wrecking their chemistry while also parting with promising forward J.J. Hickson and a first-round pick? ESPN’s Ric Bucher suggested it might be a ploy by the Cavs to force Washington’s hand: “One league source posited a sensible explanation: because this is merely saber-rattling to get the Wizards to deal them the guy they really want, Antawn Jamison.”
But Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that “the Cavs have gotten ‘pretty far down the tracks’ in talking to the Suns about Stoudemire. It has even gotten to the point that the sides have discussed small details like payment schedules and salary reimbursement options.” Windhorst also says LeBron has signed off on dealing for Amare.
So should Hawks fans, who can’t feel confident their team can take Cleveland in a series now, hope the Cavs really do get Stoudemire and see if it screws them up? It’s an interesting thought but . . . heck naw, they shouldn’t. Whatever head-butting Amare might do with Shaq or the defensive possessions he decides to take off wouldn’t offset Cleveland’s enormous physical advantage over the Hawks in the post with Shaq, Amare, Z, and Varejao. The Hawks have at least been competitive with the Cavs even if they haven’t figured how to close them out (or get some calls), while I won’t even get into the Hawks’ problems with Dwight Howard and the Magic.
The Hawks have more pressing stuff to worry about right now. Winning the division and posting the second-best record in the East assures them of homecourt advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. That means they’d get Orlando in Philips for four games in the second round if both get through and the series went seven games. That’s why Woody lately has been talking up the importance of earning that No. 2 seed.
The Hawks need to at least hold off Boston for No. 3 in the East so they can avoid the dreaded four seed and drawing the Cavs in the second round with Cleveland holding homecourt. That’s a no-go whether Amare is in Cleveland or not.
MC
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103 comments Add your comment
gypsyjoe
February 14th, 2010
9:12 pm
I really thought Haywood would look great in a Hawks uni. I guess not. damn.
vava74
February 14th, 2010
9:15 pm
Alan, don’t mix up skin color with stupidity or lack of culture.
It’s the place or mean where you grow up that generates that, not the skin color.
If you think otherwise, then you are just a poor ignorant biggot.
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
9:16 pm
Van Gundy is a jerk. He played Howard the entire 1st qtr. Does he know that this is a All Star game?
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
9:20 pm
Van Gundy is even a bigger jerk for playing David Lee (a replacment) before Horford…
vava74
February 14th, 2010
9:26 pm
Melvin,
I think he is really doing it on purpose…
Blast
February 14th, 2010
9:40 pm
AL is getting more burn than Joe and taking advantage of it too!
Blast
February 14th, 2010
9:44 pm
AL and Joe in at the same time and playing well!
BONE
February 14th, 2010
9:45 pm
Go Al and Joe
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
9:47 pm
Watching Durant or Horford play in their 1st ASG in their 3rd year in the league, I wonder will folks start criticizing the Blazers for passing on them….
Eman
February 14th, 2010
9:47 pm
Think about this team with Daron Williams at point. If we put Childress in at SF, we could be the best team in da east. Dam, We made a bad mistaken taking Marvin!! I WOULD TRADE MARVIN TWO FIRST AND Teague for D williams.
kiki
February 14th, 2010
9:49 pm
Al Horford: 5 minutes, 6 points, 3-3 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, +12. Yup, he do not belong there!!
Truth
February 14th, 2010
9:49 pm
Idiots – with too much EGO
kiki
February 14th, 2010
9:51 pm
Melvin,
I do not think so. Blazers did not have a cristal ball to see the future, and they could not pass on Oden.
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
9:56 pm
kiki,
neither did the Hawks. keep in mind that it was consensus amongst GMs, NBA analyst, draft experts, etc that Marvin would be the better player long term… Oh well, we are only at year 5, maybe he will turn the corner soon…
Ian
February 14th, 2010
9:57 pm
KiKi, nice English. Typical thug.
Whopper Dawg
February 14th, 2010
9:57 pm
LeBron will smooth what ever chemistry issue that could arise. It would be a incredible stretch to paint this potential move as beneficial for the Hawks. The Hawks will stand pat, when they could move some of the glut at the 3/2 position. How do you spell Marvin?
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 14th, 2010
9:58 pm
Nice to see JJ and Horf ball so nicely to end the half, Go East. Van Gundy was lame playing Howard the entire 1st qtr then playing Lee before Horf.
niremetal
February 14th, 2010
10:01 pm
Bigots out in full force today. Along with the people who apparently don’t know what the term “expiring contract” means in the NBA.
Big Ray
February 14th, 2010
10:02 pm
Looks like the East wants it this year. And they just might get it.
kiki
February 14th, 2010
10:03 pm
There’s a mild difference: Oden is a center. You cannot pass on a possible “franchise” center.
Blast
February 14th, 2010
10:06 pm
Alicia Keys killing it!
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:09 pm
love her but, apparently Alicia did a little too much partying last evening…
Blast
February 14th, 2010
10:09 pm
MC,
I feel East will take it this year. They seem hungrier, more dominant.
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:09 pm
apparently Alicia did a little too much partying last evening…
still love her though…
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:11 pm
excuse the duplicate
blast…
she sounded awful… still nice to look at
niremetal
February 14th, 2010
10:17 pm
Yeah. Alicia shoulda stuck with the lip synching.
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:19 pm
the longest halftime in the history of halftimes…
Geemack
February 14th, 2010
10:30 pm
Blast
It’s not Dallas & Cle. fault the Hawks are afraid of paying the luxury tax.
Whats more important to Cle is winning a championship. Unlike baseball every team has the same salary cap and luxury tax threshold.
J.J.M.
February 14th, 2010
10:30 pm
im loving joe customize jordan 2010 shoes
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:33 pm
Wade and James vs the west
bigdave
February 14th, 2010
10:33 pm
excuse me…
Wade and queen v. West
Geemack
February 14th, 2010
10:35 pm
The west will lose because Kobe’s not playing.
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
10:41 pm
I see the Jerk (SVG) decide to play Lee over Horford again in the 2nd half. After Horford had a productive 1st half…
Geemack
February 14th, 2010
10:46 pm
I wonder if Golden State would give up Maggette for Marvin?
Benjamin
February 14th, 2010
10:48 pm
Looking at the roster, I think Cleveland’s pickup of Amare is a head scratcher in some regards, but as some say, “Ball don’t lie.” Amare’s one of the most talented players in the NBA, and I think LeBron and Shaq will bring enough to keep him in check and cause him to play enough D to justify his spot.
My biggest question in terms of “How will they coincide?” isn’t between Shaq and Amare, but rather between LeBron and Amare. While I hear that LBJ wants to win, etc., I don’t think he’s got any deference in his personality. He’d still be the main guy, but with another young star in Cleveland, I do wonder how he would respond.
Benjamin
February 14th, 2010
10:49 pm
And I know I stand in the minority here with my fellow Hawks’ fans:
I like having Marvin Williams on the roster.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
February 14th, 2010
11:05 pm
Al Horford with the MONSTER JAM assist by Rondo
Michael Cunningham
February 14th, 2010
11:18 pm
@hawksfan: this is the beat blog. and you are posting comments on a pointless article. and if you read closely you will see that i said the move wold make cleveland better. if you read even closer than that, you will see that, according to Berger, some cavs officials are worried about what amare would do to the chemistry. so i didn’t just pull this out of the air.
i therefore declare your comment pointless, and declare that you are not a very careful reader. so there.
@ marcus: didn’t see it, will take a look.
@vava: “There you go MC, that should teach you not to be provocative by resonating a perfectly valid question which spawns from other colleague’s work… You are instantly reduced by the pessimism kings to a mere towel boy…”
noted
Melvin
February 14th, 2010
11:24 pm
I see the Wizards included some cash in that trade with Dallas. Hmmm…
aaron
February 14th, 2010
11:27 pm
timberwolves are supposedly open to deal Jefferson or Love(cnnsi deadline analysis)….Marvin + package even close to being worthy? How good would we look with Al at the 4 and Josh at the 3(I know he can’t shoot but still)?
connie hawkins
February 14th, 2010
11:32 pm
After this year j. j. will be gone,so if the hawks have a chance at winning a ring mr.sund needs to get the best available #5 to give us a decent chance!! If ,you mr.sund do not,then YOU AND WOODY BOTH SHOULD BE FIRED!!!
cp
February 14th, 2010
11:39 pm
Well some teams are constantly thinking championships while others are worried about seeding and just happy to be in the playoffs. Like others have stated, I doubt the Hawks can beat the Cavs without Amare so adding him would make it even more difficult. Would be nice if this team could make a move to improve but I doubt anything will be done.
Sunsfan86
February 15th, 2010
12:16 am
If Steve Kerr Decideds to trade stoudemire then I say Robert Sarver needs to fire him cause Stat is the key to the suns getting to the playoffs this year and winning a championship
JAKE
February 15th, 2010
12:20 am
vava74 don’t hate on lebron cause he destroys the hawks every time the cavs play them and ur just mad u got a boring piece of crap in Joe Johnson
JAKE
February 15th, 2010
12:20 am
Enter your comments here
Marcus
February 15th, 2010
12:26 am
@ Michael Cunningham,
Long story short on the NBA trade scenario on p. 44 of Feb. 15th edition of SI: Mannix (SI reporter) would have us get ‘Sheed Wallace from the C’s as a quasi-”Dwight stopper”, and have us trade 3 players (Zaza, Joe Smith, Marvin Williams) + future 1st round pick for DAL Josh Howard, and trade Maurice Evans to NO Hornets for ???? (nothing mentioned in article, incomplete thought or article misprint)
Paraphrasing the article subtitle (or whatever the formal journalistic term is for the text under the headline) as “Swaps that would breathe life into an otherwise dull trading deadline”.
Not sure what my main is thinking, but any scenario, even in a dream-like state of mind, having the currently 3rd place team in the East to trade 4 players and a 1st round pick and only having 1 player in return to show for it (a player on the end of his career and already had a 1-game stint in the ATL passing through from Portland to DET) makes ZERO sense.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 15th, 2010
1:20 am
The Zaza+Joe Smith+Marvin for Sheed would have been a half-decent trade proposal last year, provided the Hawks also found a way to get an athletic small forward in return who could play some of Marvin’s minutes. This year, in light of Sheed’s newly sprouted C-cups, it’s idiotic. Trading Marvin for a useful big man who can D up Howard is a nice scenario for the Hawks — again, provided the Hawks fill the ensuing void at SF, since Mo Evans can’t possibly play that position for the rest of the season — but Sheed is not the answer.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 15th, 2010
1:22 am
Also, I love Alicia Keys too, but is anyone else completely and utterly tired of “Empire State of Mind”? That song was boring as hell to begin with, and after hearing it a million times over the last 6 months, I’d be really happy if I never had to hear it again.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 15th, 2010
1:24 am
“There should be a rule that will stop folks like Big Z being traded, then waived or bought out, then allowed to resign with their old team after 30 days. That does not seem fair at all.”
Completely agree. I thought they addressed this when the Hawks traded for Gary Payton and waived him and he went back to the Celtics a week later, but I guess not. I hope they address this issue in the next collective bargaining agreement.
JustaThought
February 15th, 2010
7:45 am
Man! Is it me or what………does anyone else think that the NBA is of very poor quality. I thought it was on the rise, but it seems like overall it’s just “stuck” in quicksand. David Stern really needs to try to fix what’s ailing the league……..and to me it’s a “lack” of enough quality teams (which is really lack of quality players).