NBA Trade Rumors: Why The Cavs—or Anybody—Should Grab Amar'e Stoudemire

With one day to go until the NBA trading deadline, fans from Cleveland to Miami to Phoenix to Philadelphia anxiously await the news about whether Amar’e Stoudemire will be leaving the Suns to join a new team this week.

At first, the Cavaliers appeared to be the frontrunner. Then Miami gained ground. Rumors about possible deals flooded the Internet. Along the way, the silence out of Phoenix has been deafening.

Fans have chimed in from all three cities, and just about every other part of the country, about the various trade scenarios. So have the media.

One view: Take Stoudemire, he’s a stud. He’ll score, rebound, and generally dominate games. Pair him with LeBron James or Dwayne Wade and the rest of the league might as well get out of the way and hand over the trophy.

No, say the detractors, Stoudemire’s nothing but fool’s gold. He won’t defend. He wants the ball and will have trouble sharing it with another star. He’s a prima donna who won’t be happy in a supporting role.

Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to his opinion, and a case can be made for such arguments.

However, they overlook the biggest reason of all that, given the chance, you take Stoudemire: Quality big men are few and far between, and when you have the opportunity to grab one, you do it.

Go ahead, rattle off a list of superstar centers.

Let’s see, there’s Dwight Howard.

Then who? Remember, I said superstar.

Obviously, Shaquille O’Neal is a legend and a bonafide Hall of Famer. However, Shaq’s on the downside of an illustrious career, and has admittedly accepted a lesser role in Cleveland as the trade-off for a chance at another ring.

Think back to the golden era of NBA big men, when giants like Chamberlain, Russell, Thurmond, Reed, and Abdul-Jabbar dominated the middle. Larger than life, all of them.

Then there were guys like Wes Unseld and Dave Cowens—and don’t forget ABA imports like Moses Malone, Artis Gilmore, and Dan Issel.

Get the picture?

Now, care to put Andrew Bynum in their category? Pau Gasol? Zach Randolph? David Lee? Chris Kaman?

They’re good players, all—but none dominant, none yet with a Hall-of-Fame resume.

If you want to argue for Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan as centers, OK. They’ll certainly arrive in Springfield in due time.

Otherwise, when you compare him to the rest of the current crop, Stoudemire stands out.

Last month, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony said the Nuggets needed a big man to make them truly title-worthy. Dominique Wilkins said the same thing about the Atlanta Hawks during the 2009 playoffs. They’re now trying to get it done with Al Horford in the middle.

Who did Dallas trade for over the weekend? Washington’s Brendan Haywood—an average center, but a center nonetheless. (Think they’re not relieved they made that deal after Erick Dampier dislocated a finger Tuesday night?).

Given the choice of Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the 2008 draft, Portland went with Oden. The Trail Blazers have been down that road before, having selected Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan back in 1984.

Unfortunately, Oden has been plagued by injuries the way Bowie was. In hindsight, the Blazers would take both of those choices back if they could. Nonetheless, the fact that they opted for big men both times illustrates just how desperate teams are for talent in the pivot (so does the fact that they pried Marcus Camby away from the Clippers earlied this week).

Stoudemire is listed as a power forward, but I don’t care what you call him. He’s 6’10”, 250 pounds and a perennial All-Star. He has career averages of 21 points and nine rebounds a game.

This isn’t a one-season, flash-in-the-pan we’re talking about. He's a bonafide superstar who has the ability to take over a game and dominate an opponent. At 27, Stoudemire is in his prime and has shown no ill effects from past knee or eye injuries.

That’s why—particularly if you think you can afford to keep him—you take him.

If you’re Cleveland, you’ve got to think past the O’Neal-Zydrunas Ilgauskas tandem. Even if they stay together, they’ve got one more year, at best. Then what?

If you’re Miami, you’re currently relying on Jermaine O’Neal, now in his 13th NBA season. Stoudemire should be good for another five years, at least, and pairing him with Wade—like teaming him with James in Cleveland—could be downright scary.

Chemistry is important. Momentum is important. Defense is important. A team orientation is important.

History has shown, however, that NBA titles are rarely won without a quality big man. Jordan’s Bulls danced around the issue a bit, but otherwise the record shows that it’s tough to win consistently without size and strength in the paint.

If I’m Cleveland, or Miami, I make the move now, and worry about the details later.