Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Stoudemire for Howard revisted: Would Howard want to join the Linsanity?


Trading Dwight Howard to the New York Knicks for Amar’e Stoudemire is an option that many in the media felt would benefit both the Knicks and the Orlando Magic. Stoudemire grew up in Florida and would give the Magic a post player comparable to what they have in Howard (at least offensively) while Howard’s game would mesh more with Carmelo Anthony’s half-court game.

Their salaries make it possible for them to be traded straight up and although Stoudemire has had his share of injuries throughout his career they are nothing compared to the health issues Andrew Bynum (who many consider the Magic’s next best trade option) has had in his career. The Knicks would improve defensively since Howard doesn’t have to score to be effective and the Magic wouldn’t have to start over the way they did when Shaquille O’Neal left.

Howard going to the Knicks would be an even more intriguing scenario now that Jeremy Lin has emerged in New York. Lin would love having the added option of throwing lobs to Howard or running the pick and roll with him.

Lin’s emergence also gives New York its own version of a “big three” which has become a trend in the NBA as of late. Ever since Boston brought its trio of stars together, players around the league have sought to band together in order to increase their chances of winning a championship.

Dwyane Wade was able to convince LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join him in Miami while Anthony and Chris Paul have forced their way to new teams. Howard would see his dream of joining a superstar cast in New York with Anthony and Lin. Plus Howard who plans to do some acting in the future would see his endorsement opportunities shoot through the roof in New York.

Orlando is currently tied fifth in defense with the Atlanta Hawks while the Knicks are currently 14th. A frontline consisting of Howard and Tyson Chandler would elevate the Knicks to a top ten defense and give the Knicks the most intimidating frontcourt New York has seen since Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley were controlling the paint.

Stoudemire wouldn’t help the Magic much defensively but he would make their offense even more dangerous. His ability to step away from the basket would make Orlando’s offense more versatile plus he would have plenty of room to operate in the post with Ryan Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu shooting so well from the perimeter.

Stoudemire’s shooting ability also makes the pick and roll with Turkoglu much harder to defend and one added caveat: Stoudemire hits his free throws. That is unless they sent Turkoglu to New York for Chandler. Orlando would have a hole in the middle they would need to fill and they have expressed the desire to move Turkoglu’s contract in any trade for Howard.

Which in the end will probably be the biggest sticking point in any trade for Howard. The Magic expect to take a step back after losing Howard so they are looking to rid themselves of Hedo’s contract in order to have more flexibility in the rebuilding process.

But bringing in Stoudemire wouldn’t set them back as much as some other possible trade scenarios would which may be enough to make them consider keeping Turkoglu. I’m pretty sure Knicks fans are interested in seeing if Lin can help Stoudemire produce like he did back in Phoenix but they would be even more interested in seeing what Lin and Howard could do together. They’re not the only ones who would like to see that.

Roosevelt Hall is an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2 and also writes for Shatter The Backboard. He can be contacted at RHall@shatterthebackboard.com. Follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist and add him on Facebook Roosevelt Hall Thesportmentalist.  

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