NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks Must Pursue Amar'e Stoudemire for Dwight Howard Deal

The NBA rumor mill has taken a fun turn. For the Knicks, more important than what's fun and what's not, it's a turn that needs to happen. 

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, there have been talks about a trade that would send Amar'e Stoudemire to the Magic for Dwight Howard. When the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last year, they significantly hampered Stoudemire. But since that trade was made, this one has to happen. 

Carmelo does a lot of things well on the basketball court. But one style of play that doesn't fit his game is the running, up-and-down style that Stoudemire and coach Mike D'Antoni have come to make famous. 

No matter how many points each man puts up, Anthony and Stoudemire are not going to bring the Knicks any closer to a championship. That can never happen when a team's two best players have such different styles of play. 

The other problem with the Knicks is that they don't play any defense. So, their different offensive styles are going to hurt the offense, and their defense won't bring them any wins. The Knicks will make the playoffs right now, but won't be consistent in the season and won't get beyond maybe the first round of the playoffs. 

Now, if you throw Stoudemire out and put Howard in, it's a different story altogether. In Howard, you will have a big man that plays defense and a player whose style meshes with Anthony. 

That's why this trade makes so much sense for the Knicks. The best thing is that on the court, it makes sense for the Magic as well. They have players that can get out and run, which is what a team building around Stoudemire will need to do.

From the perspective of the Knicks, this has to turn into more than just a rumor. They're not going to be anything more than playoff whipping boys with the players on the roster now. Stoudemire and Anthony are big names that will score a lot, but their style will not bring many wins or championships. 

The acquisition of Howard would squash any rumors about where he might go, which would be greatly appreciated. But more importantly, it would give them a complete team whose best players compliment each other. 

When the Knicks traded for Anthony last season, they limited Stoudemire's effectiveness. As a result, they limited what kind of damage the team can do. There's no reason for the Knicks to not aggressively pursue this move.

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