Back And Forth: Amar'e Stoudemire Trade Talk

Jordan: Ok Scott, Amar'e Stoudemire could be traded, according to multiple reports. He could be headed to the Bulls or maybe to the Heat. What do you make of Stoudemire being traded? Wouldn't this be a bad move for the Suns?

Scott: Yeah, of course it would be. But then again, it kind of falls in line with everything else Steve Kerr has done since he took over this team. It seems like he's taken it as his personal responsibility to ruin this team, one poor personnel move at a time.

J: His decision making has been quite curious, to say the least. As a Bulls fan though, if you could get Stoudemire, you have to do it. If John Paxson can convince his old pal Steve Kerr to take a bunch of Bulls garbage off his hands for Stoudemire, he has to do it. After all, who is desirable on the Bulls, other than Derrick Rose? Who is even good?

S: Well, not many players.

J: Not many? You mean no one.

S: We've seen that Luol Deng really had one great playoff series and has been largely inconsistent. Andres Nocioni has completely fallen off. Kirk Hinrich stinks. The only desirable pieces they have are Drew Gooden, for his big contract, and Ty Thomas for his potential.

J: With Ty Thomas, he's potentiallty not awful. That I can say. But if the Bulls could package Thomas, Hinrich, Gooden (for contract purposes) and you coudl even throw in Side Show Bob, err, Joakim Noah, I think Pax HAS to make that deal.

S: Oh, no doubt. Thing is, Noah and Thomas do have value as projects. I've been saying this to you since the Bulls signed Ben Wallace. They need a big time player down low. In the Eastern Conference how could you not go out and get A'm'a'r'e?

J: That apostrophe in his name really makes no sense. Sort of like Donte' Stallworth. What's it doing there?

S: But for real though, he's a must get. You guys really need a big man, and he's that. Just don't expect defense.

J: I agree. Now let's look at the Heat. Who do you package to send A'm'a'r'e to South Beach to play with Mr. Converse himself, D-Wade?

S: The rumor I heard was Miggy Beasley. That's Michael Beasley for those of you who don't speak Spanish.

J: Miggy Beasley and who else? In english please, how about sending Shawn Marion back to his old stomping grounds?

S: No, they wouldn't send him back. Lo siento. They'd also include Marcus Banks, the waste of space and money he is.

J: I'm not just saying this because I'm a Bulls fan, but correct me if I'm wrong: the Bulls have a better offer. That being said, you have to sign Amar'e to a long term deal. Otherwise these trade proposals are moot.

S: Oh yeah, no doubt. The better team to do the deal with if you're the Suns is Chicago. The better team to get traded to if you're Amar'e is Miami. As far as a long term deal, the way I see it is, why wouldn't you trade for him, and give up Beasley? And I like Mike, but how much better could he be than what Amar'e is now? Lock him and Wade up, you could have contenders with a developing Mario Chalmers.

J: Quite true. Both teams have every reason to do it. Though you know who I'm rooting for.

S: No, I have no idea.

J: I guess we'll have to wait and see.

S: All I'll say is, let's go Spurs in getting Rasheed Wallace.

J: That would be a good move, not only because he has a weird hair discoloration on his dome piece. And since we need to mention it once, A-Rod. Now we've taken care of our obligatory reference to him in every post.

S: Indeed, A-Rod.

Can It Get Any Worse?

I don't have to tell you the Chicago Bulls aren't very good.  Let their nine point home loss to the 6-32 Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday night tell you all you need to know about this team.

At 16-21, the Bulls are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division entering tonight's game against Portland.  Amazingly, because the East is so top heavy, despite their poor record and consistently poor performance the Bulls are just a game behind Milwaukee for the eighth spot in the East.

Yet, there would be nothing worse than this team of misfits playing a first round playoff series against Cleveland, Orlando or Boston to just be blasted in four games.

The Bulls are in the NBA's proverbial "no man's land".  They're on the verge of being a playoff team (but really, what does that mean in the NBA) and yet they're also on the verge of being one of the worst teams in basketball.  (In fact, you could argue right now that they are.)  Other than Derrick Rose, there is not a promising player on this team.  Ben Gordon scores, but he's too short, plays too little defense, and is too one-dimensional to be considered a guy to build around.  Luol Deng has been injured, but when he's not been injured he's been bad.  Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah are both brutal draft picks by GM John Paxson who have shown little promise or basketball skills.

It's a complete mess.

That's why I've decided, until changes are made, I'm done watching this team.  There's no point.

I'm a Bulls fan.  Full Disclosure.  But there's no point watching a team that has no potential to go anywhere but down.  They have no chance of competing for a title now, or really ever with this roster of players, and until they blow this thing up, they'll never compete for anything more than a ticket to lose in the first round.

John Paxson should be fired.  Larry Hughes wants to be traded, and should be shown the door.  If anyone would take Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah, send them on the first flight to the city of their choice.  Find a big man that can actually help Drew Gooden underneath.  And find some players that will actually take first year head coach Vinny Del Negro seriously. (And that'll be hard too, since the organization doesn't even take him seriously considering they hired Bernie Bickerstaff and Del Harris to be Vinny's babysitters.)

The Bulls are in the worst spot imaginable in sports.  They're bad, but not bad enough.  They have a bunch of cast off players that aren't desirable to any other teams.  Rebuilding this thing won't take a season, but instead another long rebuilding effort that Bulls fans can no longer tolerate.  At some point, the championship DVDs get old, and people want to start seeing a team that can actually compete.  Or, at least one that can entertain.

So I'm done.  I'm not watching this.  As much as I'm a fan, there's no point in wasting my evenings.  I'm not coming back until the Bulls show me and the rest of their frustrated fan base that they seriously want to compete.  And if you're a Bulls fan, you shouldn't either.

Some Christmas Tips From a Blogging Jew

While many of you are cozying up to your Christmas tree, or watching Miracle on 34th Street (I prefer the 1994 version to the one from the 40s,) or whatever it is you do to ring in some Christmas cheer, here are some tips for how the sports fan in you should enjoy this December 25th:

• Don't watch it!  While there are a couple of compelling match-ups on Christmas day, would it kill you to miss the Suns play the Spurs or the Lakers face the Celtics?  I think not.  Instead of sitting in front of the television watching the games, gather some friends and play a game of snow football.  Or, if you're in a tropical place (like I am right now), relax on the beach, or play some baseball or basketball.  Maybe those of you warm weather people will hit the links or play some tennis, but take advantage of the fact that you don't have to work (unless you work in a Chinese restaurant or in broadcasting.)  And, you'll get a little exercise in the process.
• If you can't get away from your favorite teams for one day, (I know for some of us this is a preposterous thought), write down a list of all the positive moments of your year as a sports fan.  Pour yourself a glass of egg nog, and make a list of five to ten things that make you smile when you see them.  For some of you, that may be difficult.  If you really can't think of anything good that's happened, (Lions fans, I'm talking to you), make a list of your your five to ten all-time favorite sports moments.  If you can't think of ten all-time great moments, (Lions fans, again, take notice) then list the ten reasons why you love sports.
• Call, text or email people wishing them a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, or a happy holiday and a happy new year.  You'll feel better about yourself, and others will feel better about you.  And, they'll also forget about that time you threw their serving dish against the wall and smashed it because your quarterback threw a pick-6.
• Look at the picture at the top of this post and laugh at it.  Have a good laugh at it.  Now that O.J. is heading to the slammer for at least the next decade or so, we don't have to worry about seeing him in the headlines for a while.  As sports fans, we can all rejoice about that!
• Sing some Christmas Carols, or Chanukah songs.  If you must sing about sports, or something sports related, sing your favorite team's anthem or song.  Yankee fans, sing "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio".  If not that, then rock out to the AC/DC hit, "Money Talks".  Cubs fans, sing "Go Cubs Go".  If you're looking for something cooler, try Eddie Vedder's new tune, "All The Way".  Red Sox fans, sing one of the many songs that you've ripped off from either Neil Diamond, or the Standells, or one of those ear piercing tunes written by the Dropkick Murphys.  Belt out whatever you want.  It's the holiday season.  Nobody will give you dirty looks.  Or do what my buddy Andrew does, and take a popular Bruce Springsteen song and sing the names of your favorite athletes over the lyrics.
• Watch your favorite team's championship DVD.  If you don't have one, think about how great it will be when you finally do have one.
• Think about what you might give your favorite teams for the holidays, or what they might give to you.  For most of us, we'd want a championship.  For Bostonians, they have everything they want, so maybe they'll want their teams to get worse to actually provide drama to their sports scene.  Here's what I'd give to my favorite teams:  The Cubs- a lead off hitter, a power hitting left handed bat in the middle of the line up, and a farm system to trade for Jake Peavy.  The Bears- an offensive and defensive coordinator, wide receivers, a free safety, and a cornerback that doesn't suck.  The Bulls-talent to compliment Derrick Rose, a big man, and a team to take Luol Deng.  The Blackhawks- a do-over on the Cristobal Huet contract, another scoring center, and a few wins over Detroit.  Syracuse- a re-do of the last 2.5 seconds against Cleveland State, and a football program.  Try it for yourself.  You'll have fun with it.
• Most importantly, enjoy the day with your friends and family.  Sports happen every day of the year.  Christmas comes only once.