By Sam Amico
ProBasketballNews.com
Shaquille O'Neal has offically been traded from Miami to Phoenix (for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks).
A few random thoughts:
* O’Neal is 35 years old and banged up. He has shown signs of wearing down. He is averaging a career-low 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in 32 games. Worse, he played for a team with the league’s worst record (9-37). Not surprisingly, he failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in 14 years.
* That said, he’s still Shaquille O’Neal. He’s still
7-foot-1, 325 pounds and good for a couple of
block shots a game. It would be stupid to doubt
him -- at least, no one should be writing him off
just yet. He has always treated the regular season
like the preseason, then played through pain and
stepped up in the playoffs.
* Still, it’s hard to envision O’Neal getting up and
down the floor with a Suns team that plays at
warped speed and is second in the league in
scoring (109.4 points per game). As ESPN The
Magazine’s Ric Bucher pointed out, Shaq
looked winded in the first half of a recent game
against Golden State -- a team that plays a
fast breaking style similar to the Suns.
* As for the Suns, it’s hard to fault them for wanting to take a chance. When a guy is the size of O’Neal, and has four championship rings, he’s worth the “risk.” That’s especially the case when one of the players you’re giving up is Marion, who hasn’t been happy in Phoenix.
* Yes, the Suns like to run, run, run and shoot lots of 3-pointers. But after repeatedly losing to grind-it-out San Antonio, they understand that you need a physical presence in the postseason. If those long bombs aren’t falling, you need someone to bang down low and gather rebounds. Thirty-five or not, O’Neal still does those things at least as well as anyone in the league, better than most.
* Plus, Shaq has never played with a distributor like Suns point guard and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. Nash’s ability to create shots for teammates has led to offensive eruptions for former Suns like Quentin Richardson, Kurt Thomas, and current guard Raja Bell (and yes, Marion).
* I know, none of this explains how Shaq will fit in with a team that seems to use the exact opposite system needed for him to flourish. It would be hard to picture even a young O’Neal playing for today’s Suns. As I mentioned above, they don’t exactly look to dump the ball into the low post on a regular basis.
* But again, if you’re the Suns, why not give it a try? They lost at home to San Antonio last week (88-85), as the Spurs controlled the tempo by slowing it down and keeping them from getting many good looks from the perimeter. The Spurs practically dared them to go inside … and the Suns were completely out of sorts because of it. But nobody is gonna say, “Well, we might have a chance if we force the Suns to get the ball in to Shaq.”
* Not only that, but the Lakers just landed Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown and a pair of baggy shorts. Portland has been much-improved, Utah is beginning to take off, and Denver remains a threat. Getting out of the West will be even tougher this year. So first-year Suns GM Steve Kerr likely figures the Suns need to get better too. Staying with what’s been very good (but not great) in the past hasn’t gotten them to the Finals. Kerr may also be wondering how much longer Nash can play at such a high level. He turns 34 tomorrow (Feb. 7).
* Picture this as a starting lineup: C O’Neal; PF Amare Stoudemire; SF Grant Hill; SG Bell; PG Nash. Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and an improved Brian Skinner would still come off the bench.
* Of that proposed starting five, only Stoudemire (25) is younger than 30. O’Neal and Hill are 35, Nash 34, and Bell is 31. Basically, a trade for O’Neal is the Suns’ way of saying that winning a championship is now, next season, or never. Even with Marion (who turns 30 in May), that would likely be the case.
* Meanwhile, there is no questioning why the Heat would make this deal. For one, they would be unloading O’Neal’s huge contract (two more years after this at $20 million per). They also would be getting an athletic player in Marion who could complement Dwyane Wade for years to come. The same can’t be said of the aging, injury-riddled O’Neal.
* Mostly, Marion is one All-Star type who wouldn’t mind getting traded to a team that’s been as horrible as the Heat. He desperately wants a change of scenery, and unlike in Phoenix, Marion would undoubtedly be Miami’s No. 2 option on offense. With Marion and Wade, the Heat would be a mere one player away from contending for another championship.
* Bottom line: It’s difficult to picture Shaq’s game going over well with a team like the Suns. But it’s even harder to imagine the Suns getting past the Spurs (or maybe even the Lakers and Dallas) in a seven-game series with their current lineup. And if you’re going to shake things up, you could do worse than Shaquille O’Neal.
Sam Amico is the editor ot ProBasketballNews.com. Contact him or subscribe to his free e-mail newsletter at amico@probasketballnews.com.
