3 Stooges: Buford, Paxson and Avery
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Buford, you are a great GM and have built a model of international scouting and team-building that is copied league-wide, but please understand this - Vince Carter is not a winner. If you acquire him from the Nets, you will crush any hope you have of getting out of the West. Poll your players, they will not want him around. His stats come from being on bad teams that defer to a guy willing to take shots.
Paxson, if the Suns are open to that package and you have not offered it to them officially, you should be dragged through the streets of Chicago naked. Have you seen Amare run the pick and roll? You have too many good players and need a really good player, like Amare, especially as you push into the playoffs. Tyrus Thomas is very athletic. He could be a great competitor in several sports, but is he half as offensively gifted on the basketball court as Amare? Go start Amare, Hinrich, Rose, Deng and Nocioni and understand what an inside out game is all about. You made your entire Chicago career behind the arc, John, why are you so reluctant to empower others to do the same?
Avery “Pinball Johnson, stop being such a loud mouth. Your spouting off has gotten old, and active players have tuned you out. There is no doubt that Amare has problems with authority. He has undoubtedly been exploited as a basketball man-child since he was a boy. He may very well be a bad locker room guy, but his disrespect is likely aimed at authority, not his athletic peers. It could be that Porter is handing over too much authority to Nash, and Amare feels stupid as a result. Regardless, have you seen this guy run the pick and roll?
Paxson, did you pause the VCR and hear what Derrick Rose said about Amare? What is it with you NBA GMs, afraid to make trades this year? We are talking about Amare!
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The Spurs will be watching Vince Carter closely for another reason: Sensing an opportunity to grab a fifth title with the Lakers experiencing some injury problems, the Spurs recently called the Nets to inquire about Carter’s availability. A deal would be extremely difficult to make, however, because among those players San Antonio is making available, the Nets have interest in only Roger Mason — now arguably the game’s top 3-point shooter, and one of its best closers — and backup point guard George Hill. Newark Star-Ledger
It appears the Suns are open to a package of Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and undetermined draft picks for Stoudemire. One question now is whether better offers will come at the Suns in the days leading up to the Feb. 19 trade deadline. Arlington Heights Daily Herald Blog
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo very publicly has proclaimed he isn’t trading Chris Bosh, who is due to become a free agent in summer 2010, along with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. San Francisco Chronicle
The Bulls are far from the only team talking to the Phoenix Suns about a deal for Amare Stoudemire. The Golden State Warriors haven’t hidden their interest, and the New Jersey Nets admitted their talks with the Suns were unproductive. Bulls general manager John Paxson declined to comment on Stoudemire. Chicago Sun-Times
“I heard (ESPN analyst) Avery Johnson say one time that I was a bad locker-room guy or whatever,” said Amare Stoudemire, who also named ESPN analyst Tim Legler. “That’s total BS. We get along so well outside the locker room. We hang out with each other probably more than any team in the league as far as camaraderie, as far everyone hanging out together. We try to enjoy ourselves.” Arizona Republic
Count Derrick Rose among those enthused by the possibility of Phoenix Suns power forward Amare Stoudemire joining the Bulls. “Of course, anybody would want him,” Rose said following Monday’s practice at the Berto Center. “He could go anywhere, but if he comes here, we’ll love him. Great player, great teammate, plays hard, a force on the inside. So he’d be a good fit.” Arlington Heights Daily Herald
D’Antoni raised the possibility that Gallinari could start for the rest of the season. NY Daily News