Shaq has been dealt to the suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.
In a Bold move by the suns that could only be described as a huge risk. The trade is pending examanation on Shaq's hip injury.
Shaq is due 40 million over the next 2 seasons.
At first, it seems O’Neal’s skills are as mismatched with the Phoenix offense as a polka-dot tie is with a striped shirt.
But upon further review, there are several reasons that this is a good trade for the Suns.
For one, Shawn Marion didn’t want to be in Phoenix. And if a guy doesn’t want to be with a team, it’s not a bad idea to show him the door — especially if that guy is a swingman. Players who are about 6 feet 6 and can play either shooting guard or small forward are as plentiful as coupons in a Sunday paper.
Plus, the addition of O’Neal will help Amare Stoudemire by allowing Stoudemire to play power forward instead of center, where he was undersized.
Also, the Suns’ offense is uptempo, and the addition of O’Neal won’t necessarily slow it down. Blocked shots and rebounds are great ways to start a fast break, and O’Neal will provide both.
And let’s assume Diesel does slow down the Suns’ engine. That’s not a bad thing. The Suns’ offense was uptempo to a fault. And the team, as it was constructed, wasn’t good enough to win the title. The last few seasons proved that. Steve Nash would lead the Suns to 60 or more wins in the regular season, and then in the playoffs, the Suns wouldn’t make it out of the West — let alone win a title.
It wasn’t working.
And as the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. By trading for O’Neal — a 14-time All-Star, four-time champion and former MVP — general manager Steve Kerr proved he isn’t insane and put the Suns in a position to win the title.
But upon further review, there are several reasons that this is a good trade for the Suns.
For one, Shawn Marion didn’t want to be in Phoenix. And if a guy doesn’t want to be with a team, it’s not a bad idea to show him the door — especially if that guy is a swingman. Players who are about 6 feet 6 and can play either shooting guard or small forward are as plentiful as coupons in a Sunday paper.
Plus, the addition of O’Neal will help Amare Stoudemire by allowing Stoudemire to play power forward instead of center, where he was undersized.
Also, the Suns’ offense is uptempo, and the addition of O’Neal won’t necessarily slow it down. Blocked shots and rebounds are great ways to start a fast break, and O’Neal will provide both.
And let’s assume Diesel does slow down the Suns’ engine. That’s not a bad thing. The Suns’ offense was uptempo to a fault. And the team, as it was constructed, wasn’t good enough to win the title. The last few seasons proved that. Steve Nash would lead the Suns to 60 or more wins in the regular season, and then in the playoffs, the Suns wouldn’t make it out of the West — let alone win a title.
It wasn’t working.
And as the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. By trading for O’Neal — a 14-time All-Star, four-time champion and former MVP — general manager Steve Kerr proved he isn’t insane and put the Suns in a position to win the title.
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