Amar'e Stoudemire Would Hurt Cavs' Chemistry
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 10:53AM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
I once started dating a very attractive girl with whom I worked in Cincinnati, going into the deal knowing full well that she was the poster child for red-flag dysfunction.
This was about a decade ago; I was a typically shallow guy blinded by how hot she was, and in the long run -- more than two years later -- I paid for it dearly on the emotional front.
I share these personal details with you because that's how I see the Cleveland Cavaliers' potential acquisition of Amar'e Stoudemire.
On the surface, he is definitely hot and trading for him would seem to be a great addition to an already strong lineup. Certain temptations are hard to resist.
But I think the temptation to do nothing, to stand pat, should get more consideration in Cleveland, and the logic is simple.
Nothing against Stoudemire, but the teams that win championships are teams rich in chemistry. And just because chemistry is an intangible that doesn't show up on the highlight reels or in the boxscore doesn't mean it lacks value.
Whenever I have the chemistry conversation, I tell people to consider the New England Patriots. They won three Super Bowls in four years, pretty much without any superstars. Tom Brady was more efficient than he was a superstar, and guys just did their jobs, filled their roles and at the end of each game, they had more points than the other team. Even if Brady was a star then -- and he sure is now -- he was the only one on those title teams, and in 11-on-11 football, if you win with zero stars or just one, you probably know a little something about chemistry.
Or, if you want a local example from the shores of Lake Erie, how about those Indians of the 1990s? They didn't win a World Series, but they got to that final round twice, bringing hope and excitement to a city perhaps more starved -- and still starved -- for a championship than any in the country. Guys like Carlos Baerga, Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome and Sandy Alomar were such facilitators of chemistry that Albert Belle's occasional meltdown came and went with little drama.
Trading for Stoudemire would strengthen the likelihood that Lebron James stays in Cleveland beyond this season, but it will also disrupt the chemistry enough to harm this season's championship chances. On the other hand, if the Cavs held on to J.J. Hickson -- who this year is starting to look like a rising NBA star -- and veteran center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, I think the chances remain strong for a title this season. And isn't a championship the ultimate case for the please-stay-Lebron argument?
Sure Stoudemire would bring a dominator's game, but Cleveland already has one of those in King James. The Cavaliers have shown twice this year they can beat Orlando, and twice more that they can beat the Lakers, and the longer the season plods along, the less dangerous the Celtics look. The Cavs are fine just the way they are.
Nothing is broken, Danny Ferry, so please realize there is nothing to fix.
Reader Comments (3)
JW, oh wise one. I live in Scottsdale and have watched Amare's entire pro career (actually have played pick up with him). i somewhat agree with you but not entirely. Shaq liked Amare and i am sure one of the reasons the Cavs are mulling this trade. The problem teamates have with Amare is his lack of team defense and his effort on the glass...so overall effort. As you know when you feel someone is lacking in this dept it creates "bad" chemistry on the court. From what i hear, all his teamates really like him off the court and have accepted his effort on the court that is why the suns are looking to move him. I personally think the Cavs are getting great deal as the effort Varajo, LJ, Mo etc put forth will hide most of Amare's inefficiencies. JJ Hickson is getting better but he is no where close to the force Amare can be on offense and even on the boards (cant believe i said that) athletically. Do the Cavs need this trade, personally i dont think so, but is it a bad trade if done, again i dont think so. Amare is not a stephen jackson (bad apple) or ron artest (crazy) he just does not match effort with talent.
JC: Those are good points, but I'm old so in some situations I'm averse to change. I don't doubt Amare's attributes one bit, but at the same time it's so easy to be tempted by a name player even if you don't really need him.
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