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Report: Clippers to speak with free agent Amar’e Stoudemire

By Trisity Miller

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JaVale McGee isn’t the only frontcourt player Doc Rivers will be speaking with over the holiday weekend. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports now reports the team president/head coach will speak with big man Amar’e Stoudemire.

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    • "Rivers also is expected to speak with free agent Amar’e Stoudemire on Sunday, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Stoudemire strongly considered the Clippers before signing with the Dallas Mavericks after the New York Knicks agreed to a buyout of his contract in February. Stoudemire has interest with several teams, including the Clippers, Mavericks and Indiana Pacers, league sources said."

    Prior to DeAndre Jordan‘s departure, Chris Broussard of ESPN reported the Clippers were interested in Stoudemire. Without Jordan, Rivers and co., will likely rev up attempts to secure Stoudemire’s talents.

    In comparison to the many names the Clippers have been connected to over the last 24 hours, Stoudemire is the most talented. Like many role players he has his flaws, but playing alongside Chris Paul for 15 to 20 minutes per game could be the assistance needed to produce his best season in years.

    Unfortunately, talent isn’t all the Clippers need right now. While overall talent is important, fit could dictate how deep into the playoffs this team can go and what this team needs most is a defensive presence to backup Blake Griffin and others. Per Basketball-Reference, in four consecutive seasons teams Stoudemire has played for have performed better with him off the floor, from a -10.5 +/- in 2011-12 to a -0.3 +/- last season. For those unfamiliar with Stoudemire, these negative numbers aren’t because Stoudemire is a poor offensive player; it’s the opposite: he’s a poor defensive player who isn’t fond of rebounding. That’s a bad combination for a presumed starting replacing a teams best defender and rebounder.

    Per Basketball-Reference, in four consecutive seasons teams Stoudemire has played for have performed better with him off the floor

    In theory, JaVale McGee is the better fit than Stoudemire when you discuss who they’re projected to be as players. McGee didn’t protect the rim well last year but he’s a near two-blocks per game player and possesses the combination of build + athleticism to intimidate opponents entering the pain. Stoudemire? Not so much.

    Would Stoudemire be willing to settle for an off-the-bench role if Doc can convince he and McGee to sign on? If early reports were correct, not so much. At this point, Stoudemire may not have much of a choice if the three teams listed in Woj’s report are the only teams interested in him — the Mavericks have Dirk Nowitzki and the Indiana Pacers, who are without David West and will be trading Roy Hibbert to the Lakers, will likely start Paul George as the small-ball four.

    To sum it up (this is my opinion of the situation), if Stoudemire is coming off the bench, a deal between the two parties would be fine. But if he’s a starter, no bueno.

    Last season, as a member of the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Stoudemire averaged 11.5 points on 55% shooting and 5.6 rebound per game while boasting a PER of 20.3.

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