Amare Stoudemire On The Spurs? Really?

Rumors like this one involving Amare Stoudemire and the Spurs are why I love the NBA Trade Deadline. Teams get desperate and consider every possible way to improve their club, even if the ideas seem completely out of left field.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo reports:

Multiple league sources say the Spurs’ front office has researched and debated pursuing Stoudemire to play alongside Tim Duncan.

There are questions for the Spurs to answer: Would they be willing to part with the personnel – including possibly Manu Ginobili – to make a deal happen?

Do the Spurs want to re-sign Stoudemire to a contract extension and swell their payroll?

Do they believe Stoudemire could be the difference for their fifth championship?

All questions with no clear answers for the Spurs – yet.

Nevertheless, the possibility of an athletic, offensive force like Stoudemire has become too irresistible to easily dismiss. The Spurs (25-18) have lost five of their past six games, and have fallen into sixth place in the Western Conference.

A trade of Manu Ginobili’s expiring contract (worth just under $11 million), Matt Bonner’s expiring deal and George Hill for Stoudemire works cap-wise, but would it be a wise deal for the Spurs? Early poll results on SB Nation’s Spurs blog Pounding the Rock say no.

I’m going to have to say no as well. Yes, the Spurs are struggling, having dropped to sixth place in the Western Conference. Yes, Tim Duncan is carrying too heavy a load, with Ginobili’s game in decline and Tony Parker’s foot problems affecting his play. Yes, another big man would really help Duncan and would allow DeJuan Blair to fall back into his role as an energy guy off the bench.

At the same time, Amare Stoudemire doesn’t fit San Antonio’s culture. To be effective, he needs a real playmaking point guard that can set him up for scores. Someone like Steve Nash. However, the Spurs have consistently asked their point guard, Tony Parker to make plays for himself first because of his ability to be a scorer. They don’t need their point guard to be the only guy making plays, because Duncan and Ginobili are equally adept at creating offense for themselves and others. In addition, Stoudemire is not a good rebounder or defender, so he’s not going to help out much in other areas of the game.

Throw Amare Stoudemire on a point-guard driven team — like the Suns! — and he’ll produce. Put him in a situation like the Spurs, who rely on everyone sharing the ball equally, and it won’t work. You have to love the Spurs’ outside-the-box thinking, but I don’t see this happening.