Call me stupid.
Call me crazy.
Call me what you want for saying what I am about to say.
But I seriously think the Charlotte Bobcats, especially now since leading scorer Gerald Wallace could be out for a while with a collapsed lung, should make another deal to Phoenix and acquire Amare Stoudemire.
Seriously.
The Bobcats need a scorer. At one point this season, they were right on the verge of catching up with the Milwaukee Bucks and possibly getting the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. And now, they have lost five in a row since the loss of Wallace in Los Angeles, who is on a bus somewhere in Omaha since he can’t fly with a collapsed lung. They are standing at 19-31 overall and are about five games behind eighth place New Jersey (24-28).
Plus Stoudemire has been one of my favorite players (when healthy) in the league since he debuted. So, how fitting would it be to get my favorite player on the only team in North Carolina? I’d pay top money to go watch them play.
But who do you get rid of to get him?
Raymond Felton has been a valuable commodity this season. He has proven time and time again throughout the season that he can hit big shots in the clutch and in the critical moments of a game. So I think trading him would be a huge mistake.
Part of Suns GM Steve Kerr’s problem with Stoudemire is the fact that he refuses to play defense and has voiced his displeasure with his role in the lineup since the trade for Shaquille O’Neal and the hiring of new coach Terry Porter (and rightfully so). So, it’s blatantly obvious that the Suns want a defender.
So how about Emeka Okafor for Amare? Or a package deal that includes: Emeka Okafor and Sean May for Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill? Or just Okafor and May for Stoudemire and a first round pick?
The Bobcats would then have: Wallace, Stoudemire, Vladimir Radmonovic (who was recently acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers for Adam Morrison), DeSagna Diop, Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Alexis Anjinca, D.J. Augustin, Juwan Howard and Nazr Mohammed.
There’d be no stopping the Bobcats.
OK. OK. So they won’t be the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Los Angeles Lakers, nor will they be last year’s Atlanta Hawks (who took the Celtics to 7 games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs), but this team could very well be on the right track for the future.
As long as Michael Jordan doesn’t screw up the NBA Draft with another lousy slew of picks, I think the Bobcats could be playoff contenders next season.
But I’m probably dreaming too big and this is all probably just wishful thinking.
And knowing the management of the Bobcats, they’ll release the entire team at season’s end to clear up cap room for a LeBron James guy that will never sign with the team in 2010.
And knowing my luck, Stoudemire will be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers (my favorite player to my least favorite team) for Lamar Odom and the Lakers will be on their way to the title. Or, he’ll be traded to the Detroit Pistons (another team I’m not too fond of) and they will turn things around in the second half of the season and make the Eastern Conference finals for the 50,000th straight year
So make the move for Stoudemire now, Bobcats.
Please.
For me.
