NBA Rumors: Hornets Foolish to Pass Up Offer of Amar'e Stoudemire

With the Chris Paul to Los Angeles Lakers deal possibly back on, the New Orleans Hornets were foolish to pass on an offer from the New York Knicks that included power forward Amar'e Stoudemire. Instead, they are looking to be making a deal that would land them the Houston Rockets' Luis Scola and Kevin Martin, along with possibly Lakers center Andrew Bynum.

The Hornets would have been better off taking Stoudemire for many reasons. 

The most important reason is why this deal was rejected originally. The Hornets were moving their star player, which was putting a small market team in a worse position. This idea completely went against what the new collective bargaining agreement was trying to do and was quite a hypocritical move by a team that is owned by the NBA.

If the Hornets landed Stoudemire, they would be bringing in a star player to replace the one they were shipping off. While Martin and Bynum are great players, neither carry the star power and marketability that Stoudemire does.

Instead, the Hornets will be getting a few great players, but none big enough to carry a franchise like Paul has been. The Hornets have an obligation to set an example for the league, and by bringing in anything less than a star is not the right move.

Also, the Hornets will likely be losing David West. Without West and Paul, the Hornets are losing two of their biggest scoring threats. Stoudemire would be able to pick up where Paul and West left off while being a dynamic piece with center Emeka Okafor.

It remains to be seen what happens with the Lakers-Paul deal. It was already rejected once and it is hard to imagine the league approving it now. If the Hornets do intend on moving Paul before the season opens, they should rediscover the possibility of a Stoudemire deal with the Knicks.