Ray Allen-Amar'e Stoudemire Trade Would Benefit No One

Ever heard the saying "Why fix it if it's not broken"?

Well, I was combing through rumors, trade possibilities, and predictions on the computer earlier today. I noticed that a trade was proposed and has been on the table since the beginning of the week:

BOSTON CELTICS receive:

Amar'e Stoudemire
Leandro Barbosa
First-round draft pick

PHOENIX SUNS receive:

Rajon Rondo
Ray Allen

At first glance, this may look like a good trade for both teams. Phoenix gets a great shooter, which they need, and a point guard to replace Steve Nash.

The Celtics get a beast down low and Garnett's heir to the PF position in Stoudemire, a sweet shooting guard in Barbosa, and a chance to get a talented player in the draft.

But honestly, this trade doesn't seem to work favorably with either team's roster.

If Amare is traded to Boston, what do they do with Garnett? Send him to the bench? NEVER!

Amare's too weak to play big the way they need their center to do, so that doesn't work either.

Barbosa's a great player and fast as hell, but he's tiny for a shooting guard and can't handle the ball and distribute like a point guard. Does that mean you start Stephon Marbury at point and Barbosa at two-guard? NO!

The Suns get amazingly sweet-shooting Ray Allen but already have the position filled with Jason Richardson. They get Rondo, too, which is great, but are they going to keep Rondo on the bench until Nash gets too old or traded? Nope.

You see, the Celtics are a top-four team in the NBA. They may be getting older, but with age comes the wisdom of the game. As long as they can play defense with their hearts, they'll be fine.

The Suns had a down year because of injuries, and they tried a slow-pace game with Terry Porter. But now they're back to a faster-paced game under Alvin Gentry and have vastly improved. They'll be fine next year as well.