Stoudemire to Miami buzz heats up as deadline lurks

By: Pedro Heizer

MIAMI – Recent reports from yahoo sports state that the Miami Heat are offering anthing but the kitchen sink to the Suns for Amare Stoudemire. The Heat have discussed several scenarios with the Suns, including packages that include combinations of young players Michael Beasley, Dorell Wright. Another combination had Miami sending them expiring contracts such as Jermaine O’Neal and Quentin Richardson. It’s also good to note, Miami is also willing to part with their 2010 first-round draft pick if they have to.

How smart would it be for Riley to trade for Stoudemire? Would it make any sense to trade for a ‘lease’ until the end of the season and then lose the talent of Michael Beasley if that’s the case? Is Michael Beasley not the player Riley had hoped for when he drafted him with the second pick in the 2008 NBA Draft? Is Riley trying to just make Wade happy in order for the superstar to sign a long term deal with the team over the summer? All are valid questions, and all are right. It seems as if Riley has begun to question himself after he drafted Beasley out of Kansas State. Beasley, in his second season, is the team’s third scoring option behind Dwyane Wade and Jermaine O’Neal. Also, Beasley has not matured as fast as he had hoped. Sure, compared to last season Beasley has grown a tremendous amount, but nevertheless, he has not grown in the same speed as All-Star Derrick Rose and I believe that puts Riley in a position to trade the sophomore. I know many will not agree with my position on Beasley, but that is how I see it and what it looks like.

There is also the option of keeping Beasley and Wright and trading away Jermaine O’Neal and Q-Rich. That is also another valuable option. Coming off an off-season in which O’Neal said he was 100 percent back and the Miami media began calling him the Heat’s x-factor, he has not produced great games after the hot start. He is simply a shell of his form all-star Indiana Pacers’ self. Trading O’Neal would give Miami a huge boost in the center position and that is something we all know Pat Riley is known for. A great center has always been the mentality of Riley. In LA he had Karrem, in New York he has Ewing, and in Miami he had Alonzo and Shaq, so why not add Stoudemire to that list? Let’s face it, if Riley doesn’t do anything with this Miami team, the season will be lost and so will Wade. Riley needs to find ways to make Wade happy. Especially after Wade publicly called his team “predictable” after a loss to the Bulls.

It all boils down to two factors, one: Will Riley have the guts to trade Beasley away? or will he trade the underachieving O’Neal and Richardson? and two: He is doing this in order to make Wade happy. The main reason anything may happen is in oder to make our All-Star Finals MVP happy.

I do know one thing, if Miami pulls the trigger in this Amare trade, we can for sure get past the 1st round of the playoffs this season… And that would be a plus for a team who is trying really hard to retain their franchise player.