It does sound crazy but this is NYKs we're talking about here and that would allow them a do-over on a max player. And for us, it would take us out of the 2012-13 FA market but I don't see any player better than Amare that we would realistically get and I had already come to terms that whoever it was, it would probably be an overpayment to a 2nd tier star. We'd really have to be shopping Scola hard after that though.
Amare is no longer a superstar and he is getting old. We need to trade FOR draft picks, NOT trade AWAY the ones we have. He will not make us a contender. He's not that much of an upgrade over Scola. Lowry is rising but he is still not a crunch time playmaker which is what you need to be a contender. Lowry isn't, Amare isn't, Scola isn't, Martin isn't.... Who is the guy who if you put the ball in his hands you have to double team in the last 5 minutes of the game? Who? Who is going to kill you? Thunder, Lakers, and Clips have that type of player. As do the Bulls and Heat of course. Those are your contenders. Unless Manu / Parker / Duncan hit the fountain of youth which ain't going to happen. At least 3 of those teams will be in the Conference Finals and they will definitely make up the finals. Want to get to that tier? We need much much more than an Amare.
Does anyone REALLY want to play in Houston over Los Angeles? The dude's a professional, he'll suck it up.
No chance Amare should ever be in a Rockets uniform. Why overpay for 1 player if we're still going to miss the playoffs? If only the salaries matched, Scola for Amare straight up would be the only way. Either way, the Knicks won't get much better with Scola, nor would we improve for our future.
The future is now! Amare isn't some old washed up superstar, just like Scola his game isn't dependent on his athleticism. The only problem with Amare is he doesn't have a set up man who'll give him the ball on his way to the hoop. The main reason he's playing so badly now is because NY is forcing him to create his own shot, Amare isn't a shot creator, he's a finisher. He'd be back averaging 20 and 8 if he somehow ended up in H-town to play with Lowry.
I agree with whomever expressed that sentiment that anyone who wants Amare now should have their comments going forward ignored. 1) uninsured contract 2) max money 3) defensive liability 4) offense will slip as well 5) unable to amnesty No, just no.
I wish this was an actual rumor and not just hit generating post by Sheridan. You do this trade without thinking. You get a superstar while keeping your best player and your second best player. Lowry / pick up a PG maybe they throw in Lin? Martin/ Lee Parsons / Bud / Morris Amare / PPAT Dalembert / Hill That is a contending team if A'mare gets his juices flowing again which I think he would with a real PG.
Max contract, bad knees and back. He's not even a good rebounder or defender. Not a chance. At least we can amnesty Scola if we can't do anything with him. We'd be stuck with that contract for 4 more years!
This is why most posters would make horrible GMs even if some of you could be decent coaches. Evaluate the trade from a longterm perspective and it makes enough sense... We are lacking a "league recognized" superstar and Amare for Scola/Dragic/10-18th pick is worth it to get one because we'd have room to sign another future max FA once we get rid of K-Mart for some more youth with size like Omer Asik. Long term we can't afford Dragic, he just isn't a backup PG, he can start for a few teams and deserves that shot. Short term the team may not be better, Scola and Dragic are definitely glue. But you need less glue when you have Amare being able to attract D-Williams, Dwight (legitimately he would be a fool to not consider a team with Amare, Lowry, & Lee that can afford to pay him) or many other talents to come play in Houston. We released all our 09 talent basically which means we want to SIGN a free agent soon and Amare is more attractive of a running-mate around the league than Scola. Period. Long term is why trades get done by Daryl Morey. Short term is why people get abused in trades by Daryl Morey.
Saying that is like saying Kendrick Perkins is better than Kevin Garnett get off the gas dude. Stoudemire in a Rockets uniform would be the best player on the Houston Rockets.
It doesn't make sense at all in the short term and even less sense in the long term. PER of 15.1, .422% eFG, .471 TS% are all career lows for him (minus his .333 TS% in 03 when he was injured for most of that season). His numbers are down in every stat and his defense doesn't make up for it. He doesn't have that athleticism he previously had to get around defenders anymore for higher percentage shots inside. He just settles mostly for 17fters. His rebounding skills aren't great, but his defense is better than Scola (that's not saying much though). Is that worth paying a guy a maximum contract (approx. 1/3 of our salary cap) for 4 more years? Not at all. He's insanely overrated and would severely stymie what we can do to upgrade the roster. And this guy's knees and back are just terrible and they're finally taking a toll on his play. We've already been down this road with T-mac and his injuries, and it's not even close to worth to go down it again. We couldn't amnesty him like we could if we decide to let go of Scola if no other arises.
Is it worth paying him the max for 4 more years with his injury problems and decline in play? No. Not worth it.
Lowry is better than Stoudamire straight up. But Amare might be better than Scola, and younger, but much, much more expensive. I might make straight up trade, but no draft pick. Amare still doesn't quite get us there, we need a great 2 way wing through. Dalembert Stoudamire Parsons - Lowry That is finally something resembling a championship threat. But Amare with his attitude,contract, and injury history is a risk.
Is it worth 4 more years of mediocrity and no big name stars? It's most tough to get that first star player. Plus with the rockets just about any player will play above their expected level if they have above average skills... look at Dalembert. Wafer, Head, Landry are other examples.
Stat won't get us out of mediocrity! He's not good anymore. He relied on his athleticism and now that it's going away, he can't adjust to the loss of it. He will keep us in mediocrity and we would be paying him over 1/3 of our salary cap to do so.
