Portland for Amare is not going away...

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Portland has allegedly offered a very sexy package to the Suns in exchange for Amare Stoudemire:

The Portland Trail Blazers have made a strong play for Amare Stoudemire, discussing a package that includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Raef LaFrentz's $12.7 million expiring contract, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told CBSSports.com Tuesday.

This could all mean nothing, but ultimately I have a hard time thinking the Suns could get a better deal than this for Amare. They get that big expiring contract with Raef, a legit future All-Star in LaMarcus, and a rookie that could actually back-up Nash and may even turn out to be very good in Bayless.

For the Blazers pulling off this trade would mean breaking up the nucleus of youngsters that seem to have a very bright future. However you feel about that, we may have to invent a "Largest testicles in the Universe" Award for Kevin Pritchard if this happens.

About all this LaMarcus for Stoudemire talk....

Some people seem to be confused about why I haven't touched on all this Amare for LaMarcus talk. Yes, I've heard about it over and over again just like you. But the fact that we've heard about it so much most likely means it won't happen. But those rumors won't let us move on:

Sources told ESPN.com that the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers are among the many teams with whom Phoenix has exchanged trade concepts, with the Bulls and Heat believed to be pursuing Stoudemire hardest at this early stage.

Almost every team in the league has some degree of interest in Stoudemire, but sources close to the process maintain that the Suns will only part with the 26-year-old in a deal that delivers at least one decent-sized expiring contract along with younger talent and/or draft considerations.

So yeah, this fits:



I have to respectfully disagree with my neighborhood blogging associate over at Blaze of Love that this trade would somehow be a wash. While LaMarcus and Amare share the same lack defensive prowess, Stoudemire is a potential Hall of Famer while Aldridge seems likely to top out at All-Star. I am a LaMarcus supporter, but can you ever see him making an All-NBA squad? At age 24 like Amare did?

Then again, watching Amare struggle (for him) in the Shaqtastic Phoenix offense gives me some hesitation. Would he be able to be the monster that he is in a mostly plodding and stagnant Portland system? It would not be the best fit for him, but he would surely see the ball more than he does out in the desert.

Mostly likely, none of this matters. If you are Portland, why take the risk? The team is still young and developing. Things look bright, and no one can be sure what this team may or may not need to earn a future championship. It is an exciting rumor, and fun to ramble about. But yeah, let's move on.