Considering the rumors that have been swirling for the last few days, it seems like high time to address the possibility of the Warriors trading for Amar? Stoudemire for the second time in less than a year.  The Warriors very nearly acquire Stoudemire in a draft day trade last June.

First off, I don?t feel I need to spend a long time discussing an Amar? deal without any sort of assurances that he would sign in the long-term. Essentially, that situation would mean that the Warriors were trading assets (expiring contracts and/or young, cheap talent since Phoenix owner Robert Sarver won?t take overpaid guys under any circumstances based on his history) for a rental on a team that would not benefit in any way, shape, or form from that kind of arrangement.

We can talk about what could have been until our faces are as blue as Thunder was, but it does not change the fact that Golden State will not be in the playoffs this season.

Beyond that, Amar? seems like a guy who would eye greener pastures at the end of this year, particularly a large media market. There is simply no reasonable argument for giving away more than scraps and filler for a four-month stint of Amar?.

However, even if Amar? was to commit to the Warriors in the long term, it would still be a mistake for the team to trade for him. Here are the primary reasons:

1. He is a horrible defender: I know defense has not been a hallmark of recent Warriors teams (with the notable exception of the Mavericks series), but that does not need to be the case moving forward. Some may point to Amar??s team situation as a root cause of his poor defensive stats, and there is some merit to that. However, his effort on the defensive side of the ball typically leaves a ton to be desired. Having a weak defensive player at one of the big man slots puts a major onus on the other big from both a personnel and practical standpoint. Players like Ronny Turiaf and potentially Andris Biedrins can be difference-makers on D, but adding Amar? necessitates a quality player next to him to prevent penetrators from finishing at will.

2. He is an overrated rebounder: There are a vast array of statistics that can be misread and misused, particularly in the wrong hands. By far one of the best stats out there right now is Rebound Rate- for all intents and purposes, it measures the percentage of available rebounds that a given player grabs. Since it is a percentage, elements like pace factor do not come into play (though I?m a firm believer that MPG is a factor since low-minute guys can play at a high intensity and get boards at a high rate). Keeping those considerations in mind, Amar? currently stands at 77th in Rebound Rate, a simply astonishing ranking. While some of those players above him are lower-minute guys, he is still outside of the top 30 for 30+ minute players. That simply is not acceptable for any team that wants to be a contender that does not have a major talent advantage.

3. His injury history is scary: Amar? has done a very impressive job coming back from microfracture surgery, but it?s one that just sticks in the back of my mind. Closer to the front is his eye injury that will cause him to wear goggles during games for the rest of his NBA career. Each of these problems is a little less worrisome because he is young enough to shake them off and has athleticism to spare, but it is hard to project that same kind of optimism five or so years down the road. Since taking away long-term assets would be necessary to get Amar?, this long-term scope matters in the analysis.

4. A purely offensive big man (especially a natural PF) does not hold as much value thanks to positional depth: Despite his status as an All-Star center this year, Amar??s natural position is power forward, especially since a team would want a defensive anchor next to him, most of whom play center. In today?s NBA, the power forward position is incredibly deep and it is the only position with any reasonable depth in the college ranks at the moment. While it is important to mention that Amar? is more offensively gifted than nearly all of these PF?s, part of the value for a position is derived from how many players play that spot well, and Amar??s value suffers as a result.

5. The Warriors would have to give up assets to get him: As I?ve stated previously, I am fine with acquiring Amar? if the price is low enough whether he wants to re-sign or not. However, the problem is that his contract and his value are high enough that it will take giving up talent and/or salary flexibility to get him. If history provides any precedent here, it shows us that Phoenix owner Robert Sarver values money and salary flexibility over just about everything. Luckily, the Warriors have a ton of expiring contracts that help facilitate that possibility. The problem that persists during most mid-season trades is that the number of players involved has to be nearly even due to roster restrictions. Since the Warriors have the maximum number of players, they either have to give up more than they receive or exactly the same number (the Suns have more flexibility). Since the expiring contracts are spread out between a few different guys, this makes the accounting substantially more difficult. The other complication is that Phoenix has a large group of guys which absolutely would not be a part of any Amar? deal because of value (Nash, Lopez), high salary (J-Rich, Barbosa), or because the team just does not want to give them up.

My tilt as a basketball fan is to be obsessed with the idea of complementary players and niches. This conception works sort of like a checklist, with successful teams having more elements satisfied. What makes Amar? such a tough sell is that he is a max salary guy who will undoubtedly ask for a lot this summer (and he IS opting out, like every one of the big 2010 guys thanks to the inevitable budget chaos from the new CBA) who cannot be the #1 scorer on a championship level team and must also have a lead rebounder and defender next to him. He does provide value to be sure, but the work it takes to make a successful team with him as a key cog brings too many snags to make it a reasonable or worthwhile endeavor.

There are teams that have the pieces in place for Amar? to be a difference-maker who fits well and can thrive, but Golden State simply is not the place for that to happen.