If there is one player that could make Bulls fans feel better about missing out on Amare Stoudemire, it's Chris Bosh. Stoudemire is an All-Star; so is Bosh. Stoudemire is a young talent presumably entering his prime; so is Bosh. In fact, it's probably fair to say Bosh is slightly better than Stoudemire. He certainly doesn't have the same concerns about defensive ability and effort surrounding him.
It is with that consolation that today's trade rumor du jour arrives: Apparently, the Bulls have pivoted away from Stoudemire as their go-to deadline get, and are instead attempting to engineer a three-team trade with Toronto that would send Bosh to the Bulls and Amare to the freewheeling, Brian Colangelo-run Suns. The trade appears to be the work of Guy Forman, the Bulls' new front office guy, who has taken over for John Paxson in the wake of Paxson's apparent desire to quit. Weird, but true:
The rumored swap would send Stoudemire to Toronto and land the Phoenix Suns a package of players and draft picks from the Bulls, likely to include Drew Gooden and his expiring $7.2 million contract, Tyrus Thomas and a first-round pick. Suns president Steve Kerr said last week he expects all talks to go down to the deadline.
Of course, for every rumor, there is an equal and contradictory counter-rumor. Isaac Newton said that. So it is with Chris Bosh, as Hoops World is reporting that the Raptors aren't actually looking to trade their young superstar:
Raptors' sources have been fairly adamant that Chris Bosh is not on the market and will not be moved before Thursday's NBA trade deadline. The march up to the 3pm EST deadline always yields more speculation than action and this year's deadline looks to be even more heated because of big name players, and teams looking to clear contracts for economic reasons. The Raptors are involved in talks regarding deals, but sources close to the situation say the available players on Toronto's side are Anthony Parker and Joey Graham, not Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.
It's NBA trade rumor season, which means no one knows what to believe; the best you can do is stay informed, stay reasonable, and pray your team makes out OK. So it is with Bulls fans. There's no question some sort of deal needs to happen. What will it be? Our guess is as good is yours.
Eamonn Brennan is a writer, editor and blogger hunkered down in Lincoln Park. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, FanHouse, MOUTHPIECE Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com.
