By Paul Gotham
Taking time here on Valentine’s Day to ponder a sampling of topics going on around the sports world.
Trade Deadlines
To trade, or not to trade. That is the question. As NBA and NHL teams jockey for playoff position (or futility), exchanging players puts front offices on the front page of sports discussions.
Is there any truth to the rumor that has Amare Stoudemire leaving Phoenix for Cleveland? I am trying to imagine LeBron, Shaq, and Stoudemire on the floor at the same time. What set or sets could or would the Cavs run? With Stoudemire in the game, the Cavs could actually run the floor. With Shaq in the game? Well…we all know running is not important to the old boy.
Do the Cavs have anyone to offer in return? Or is the fact that the Suns would not have to worry about Stoudemire’s contract enough to swing this deal?
How are Josh Howard and Drew Gooden feeling today? Being sent from the Mavs to the Wizards has to seem like a prison sentence.
Note to Wizard GM Ernie Grunfeld: Howard’s past is not exactly squeaky clean. You have gone from guns in the locker room to a guy who has openly admitted marijuana use. Yeah, the locker room was a little ‘stale’ as you said. You hoped these two guys would re-energize it. You might get more than you asked for.
Tracy McGrady is still looking for work. I can think of Russian owner that wouldn’t mind putting T-Mac on the floor.
Switching to the frozen pond.
Where will Martin Biron go? Right now, Biron is the third string goalie for the New York Islanders. The Isles, by the way, are six points off the playoff pace right now. Do the Isles keep Biron? Or do they trade second string goalie, Dwayne Roloson.
Either way, will the Buffalo Sabres be involved if the Isles move a goalie?
Buffalo’s Ryan Miller needs a rest. And he is not going to get it over the next two weeks. While most of the NHL rests during the Olympics, Miller will tend the net for Team U.S.A.. The experience should drain Miller. Buffalo’s second string goalie, Patrick Lalime, has proven himself less than capable of giving the Sabres valuable minutes between the pipes.
Speaking of the Sabres – thankfully, Buffalo has an 11-point buffer. Coming out of the Olympic break, the Sabres play at Pittsburgh, against Washington, Philadelphia, and at the Rangers the first week back from the break. Two and two might be a reasonable goal for that week.
Margin of error and the Olympics
Thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili – the Georgian luger who lost his life during a practice run on Friday. I can not imagine what they are going through.
There is no comparison to the tragedy experienced by that family.
Saturday night showed how minute the difference is between climbing the medal stand and watching an opponent do the same.
The 1,500 speed skating event saw a pair of Korean skaters crash into the wall. The accident might have been poetic justice as replays showed one skater gaining an advantage by interference. Still, the slightest slip was the difference in the race. Four years of training ends in a spill. Is there any measure to that frustration.
Same goes for the moguls. I’m not sure of the woman’s name, but I watched her do a back flip and land slightly off balance and fall. Again, four years of training and the smallest of margins proves decisive.
Cheers to Chris Mazdzer. The Olympic rookie from Saranac Lake, New York is having a good showing in the luge.
Valentine irony
On this day dedicated to amour, is ESPN Classic having a little fun at the expense of Red Sox fans? Earlier today, Classic replayed game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Many a Red Sox fan hearts were torn out that night.
Got any rebounds or putbacks? Post them here.
I thought JJ Hickson would start to flourish with Shaq coming in. Call me crazy, but just thought the floor would open up for him with all the perimeter attention on LeBron and double downs on Shaq. Now if they get Stoudemire, they’ll actually have a viable threat in such a situation. They can now go to Stoudemire’s side more often than not and Shaq can continue to rack in some garbage points. They are set to lose Z, which if he were seeral years younger I’d say know considering how well he plays with LeBron. I love this idea of this trade and it seems like Cleveland is giving up very little for it. Included with Z and Hickson would be a first round pick. No biggie because that will continue to be in the high 20s with LeBron there.
This is obviously a move to keep him in Cleveland. Once Shaq fizzles out, Stoudemire can take control of the paint and Varejo would be a nice complement as the 5. Interesting conversation on the Sports Reporters today. They were discussing Kobe’s body perhaps in the early stages of breaking down. 14 years of banging on the hardwood. What made Jordan timeless is his ability to reinvent his game. Kobe has a jumper and a pretty good back-to-the basket game already. But it made me think of LeBron. Everything he does is with a full head of steam. He does have a jumpshot, but it seems a lot of those are made with no pressure because defenders back off so much anticipating his locomotive style frame barreling to the basket. LeBron will be where Kobe is in another 6 years, but I don’t see him reinventing his game like Bryant has. At 6’8″ and the strength of an NFL tight end, one would think he is best suited out of the three for such a renassaince in his career when his body is not as quick, resilient and what have you. Just a random musing…
I’m looking at the Cavs primary need being a perimeter shooter to line up opposite LeBron and open up the floor. Acquiring Stoudemire makes sense if as you say, Rey, they can sign him to a contract after the season. I don’t see this working this year. Shaq and Stoudemire in the Phoenix lineup didn’t do too well.
LeBron re-inventing his game is an interesting topic. He is 25. Which seems kinda crazy to say. It’s hard to believe this is his 7th year, and he averages a lot of minutes (40.4). How much longer CAN he play at this pace?