Basketball rumors begin

Much has been made of my love for the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos.

The same goes for my love for the New York Yankees and New York Giants. You might know that I also am a lover of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This though is more of a love affair between my favorite basketball team and another basketball team that represents what basketball is all about. Sometimes.

While watching a sports television show on Tuesday, I heard another fan of this team say that being a fan is emotionally complicated. I immediately related with a confirming nod and realized how much I still like this team.

The other complicated factor in sports fandom is that fact that Oklahoma City has only been around for four years. I’ve been a fan of one sports team or another most of my life.

Spending a winter night watching the Knicks play is something that only certain people can enjoy. Most of the time enjoying a Knicks game comes at the expense of winning.

Late Monday night was the first installment of the New York Knicks versus the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets are spending their first year in the New York City borough after a move from across the bridge in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Nets won that game in overtime and it caused quite the storm of debates across the sports universe. Tons of questions were asked about whether or not the Nets are for real and could contend with other teams but more questions were asked about the new rivalry.

Some journalists are not sure whether we can call it a rivalry yet because it has only been one game. In a couple of months the teams will have played four games and a better gage of whether or not it is going to remain as intense of its inaugural version.

Let me tell you what will not only make it as intense but even more of an attraction for the fans of the NBA. The New York Knicks need to trade Amar’e Stoudemire for Pau Gasol as soon as possible.

This is the most recent rumored trade in the NBA. Even though the rumors come early and often in the 82 game season, this one makes the most sense and for both teams.

Mike D’Antoni was recently named head coach of the Las Angeles Lakers and the Lakers new point guard Steve Nash played alongside Stoudemire in Phoenix for D’Antoni. The chemistry would be instant for a team that needs something, anything instantly.

Now for Gasol, he averages 13.4 points per game and just over nine rebounds per game. The Knicks would love this. The way they play has been head-scratching because of the chemistry problems with Stoudemire and Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

Here is where the trade gets interesting. Stoudemire hasn’t played this season due to injury and Nash hasn’t played since October when the season began. Which means, you wouldn’t trade away a player who hasn’t played this season because your team might be better. Also, you wouldn’t trade away a valuable player like Gasol without knowing how he really can play with Nash.

There has always been a question mark around Gasol and the addition of Nash this year meant that Gasol would be fed the ball in the right place at the right time.

If I’m the General Manager of either team today, I make the trade. What D’Antoni wants to do in Las Angeles doesn’t have anything to do with Gasol and what the Knicks need when Stoudemire comes back from his injury is no Amar’e Stoudemire.

For the sake of all the Knicks fans, whether part-time or not, make this happen and make it happen soon for the greater good of the sport.