Fantasy GM - My Two Favorite Teams Edition

First off, before everything else, I'd like to explain something.

Yes, I am an NBA fan. I love this game, I enjoy watching teams play against each other for the win. However, I am not a fan of the players, not the team. So where my favorite player(s) end up is the teams I root for.


For now, my favorite players (currently playing) are Lamar Odom, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Brandon Jennings, and DeMarcus Cousins. I'm also a fan of Kevin Durant (just because he helped me win my 2010 - 2011 ESPN Fantasy Basketball League, along with Odom, Melo, and Amar'e but thats a different story).


Right now the two teams I root for are the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. And this trade I have in mind just might help these two teams a lot more than expected.


Here's my trade. The Knicks send Amar'e Stoudemire to the Lakers for Pau Gasol. Straight up, no draft picks involved. One player for another. And here's the reasons why I think this trade would work.


Kobe needs help (in my opinion). He needs someone willing to shoulder the scoring load and keep Kobe fresh enough for the 4th quarter of games, in case the Lakers need Kobe to close out games for them. Amar'e is just that man. He can score in a variety of ways, and he has an impressive mid range game that would complement Andrew Bynum's low post offense. Not only that, but Kobe is nearing the end of his dominance, and he needs someone to take over the scoring burden. Amar'e is just that man. Plus if Kobe and new coach Mike (yikes) Brown can keep Amar'e focused on the defensive end, they'll be pretty scary. Oh, and Amar'e wouldn't have to worry about learning the triangle offense since they'll be running a new set of plays. And as an added bonus, Amar'e won't have to focus too much on rebounding because he'll have both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to help him clean the glass.


The biggest problem with Amar'e to the Lakers is his health. Everyone keeps saying his knees might give anytime. Let's hope that's not true.


Melo needs help (in my opinion - again). He needs someone to be option 2, not option 1b. Pau Gasol is the perfect 2nd option. He's had experience being the 2nd option. He can rebound more consistently than Amar'e, he passes better, and is more willing to play defense also. He would also be perfectly comfortable letting Melo get the bulk of the shots. Pau would also have the opportunity to bring his championship experience to a relatively younger team, perhaps he would be the missing link to send the Knicks to contender status. And just imagine how effective a skilled big man would be in Mike D'Antoni's system. Remember Boris Diaw's days in Phoenix? He was a walking triple double threat. That could happen with Gasol in New York.

Well, that's my proposed trade to help keep New York and LA relevant and in contention. What do you guys think?


Out.