Amare Stoudamire: One Man Can Bring Chicago Fans What They Want.

We all know that the 2010 offseason is going to be epic. So many big named players, power could and probably will swing to the teams that come away winners (namely, whoever gets Lebron). I'm not going to ramble about that.

Yes, there have been rumors about Dwayne Wade coming to Chicago. Everyone's excited about the possibility of a Rose-Wade backcourt. It would be dominant for years.

But as Bulls fans, don't we want more? Don't we want to be next year's Celtics, becoming the dominant TEAM in the league in one offseason? Yes, Wade would be good. Yes, we'd probably be playoff bound, but is there anything wrong with wanting more?

The Michael Jordan era spoiled us. The post-Jordan era sobered us. Then came what we hoped was the start of the Rose era. And it gave us hope.

Rose led the Bulls to the playoffs, and one of the most compelling playoff series ever. The next season started off as a bit of a drag, but it has picked up recently, thanks to the play of guess who? Rose.

But Rose can't do it by himself. No point guard can. Wade would help. He'd help a LOT. Like I said, playoff bound. But in a game where half the teams make the playoffs, "playoff bound" isn't good enough. Not in a city spoiled by Jordan. Not in a city forced to ride the roller coaster that is the Chicago Cubs. Not in a city who has another year of Lovie Smith to look forward too.

No, Chicago fans want supremacy. They want dominance. They miss the days of the '85 Bears, perhaps the greatest team in the history of football. They miss the days of Jordan's annual hoisting of the NBA Championship Trophy. They miss the days of...oh wait, no one was around in 1908. Nevermind.

The point is, the Chicago Bulls are two moves away from the dominance their fans crave. One is Wade. But they'd also need a big man. Yes, Joakim Noah is (debatably) an all-star talent. But his jumper is to basketball what Charles Barkley is to golf. Love the rebounding. Love the energy. Less than enthusiastic about the shot.

Enter Amar'e Stoudamire.

It's no secret the Suns are shopping him. He's due a lot of money. The Suns are overacheiving. His stock is high. So the Bulls would have to give up a first-round pick. Maybe a young player. IT WOULD BE WORTH IT.

Stoudamire would fill THE only need on the team. We could give up James Johnson or Tyrus Thomas, plus that pick. That may be a lot, but think of the possibilities.

Signing Stoudamire to a long-term contract would be a must. But trading for him before the end of the season would give the Bulls a chance to do that before he hits the open market as a FA. And the additional star power would only provide more incentive for Wade to come to Chicago this offseason. Our Opening Day lineup for 2010 would be

1. PG-Rose
2. SG-Wade
3. SF-Luol Deng
4. PF-Stoudamire
5. C-Noah

Worried about expenses? Look at what we could cut. With Tyrus Thomas and Taj Gibson rotating in the front 3 (another role player would need to be signed) Brad Miller's $12.25 million salary would be gone next year. With John Salmons, Devin Brown, and Jannero Pargo backing up the guards, Kirk Hinrich's $9.5 million salary would be gone.

Wow. Not only would this team be something Chicago fans would love, I think its pretty realistic. That entire team would be young, the core able to stick around for years. Finally, Chicago would be able to hang another banner in the United Center.