for a variety of reasons, the phoenix suns decided to move in a different direction with their team. by trading shawn marion and throw-in marcus banks for shaquille o'neal, they lose a player who can play multiple positions, shoot the three [although it's hard to tell if he's taking a jump shot or making a chest pass] and finish on a fast break; however, the suns gain a player who has won four championships, commands double teams and protect the paint on defense. while this may seem as a bad trade for the suns considering shaq does not fit into the offense as well as marion does, i can see this move working out for both teams.this transaction will benefit the heat mostly because they are able to shed the albatross that is shaquille o'neal's salary. in exchange they receive what essentially is the equivalent of an expiring contract in shawn marion [assuming he opts out]. not only that, shawn marion is one of most versatile and durable players in the league. the heat are also getting a happier marion now that he will also be the second option on offense and actually have plays run for him, as opposed to rarely having any plays run him in phoenix. furthermore, at their respective points in their careers, marion seems to be the better player.
the only reason that i think that this trade may hurt the heat is if it alienates dwyane wade. it's been well documented that shaq and wade were good friends and in a recent interview after the trade was announced, wade was noticeably saddened by the news [though that can be attributed to the shock]. in the end, wade's reaction in no way guarantees that he will leave once his contract expires, but the heat should be wary. if the heat don't improve their roster and start winning again, i can't see him signing another contract for them.
as for suns, they already have been much maligned by the fans and the media alike for this move. suns' management have been more optimistic, and so they should be. for example, the suns have not been able to reach the finals with marion, with a main reason being that they were unable to get defensive stops down the stretch. as good a defender as marion is, he couldn't defend the elite power fowards and centers. in fact, in the first round of the 2006 playoffs against the lakers, marion couldn't even guard lamar odom or kwame brown. i don't even need to say how bad that is. additionally, once the game's tempo slowed down in the playoffs, they had trouble generating a reliable half court offense and/or maintaining a lead since they had to deviate from their running style to bleed the clock. the addition of shaq should alleviate both of those problems as their frontcourt will be bigger with amare stoudemire moving to the power forward position and having someone who is comfortable in a conventional half-court offense.
another criticism of the trade is shaq not being the same player that he used to be. true, he can't score or move as he once was able, but phoenix doesn't need his scoring as much as they need his interior defense and presence in the paint, something that marion couldn't offer. moreover, there is no excuse why they suns won't be able to run with shaq in the lineup. even if shaq can't keep the same pace, the suns have already proved that they don't need each player to run to maintain their running style with how they used kurt thomas when he was on the court.
some have said that this move was unnecessary since they had the best record in the western conference at the time of the trade. but their record was misleading; their impressive winning percentage comes from their 20-2 record against the east, compared with their 14-13 record against the west. the suns' reaction to the lakers acquisition of pau gasol was to trade for shaq, and though it may have seemed imprudent [especially since they had the better record], it does not mean it was foolish. the suns knew that they wouldn't be able to get through the playoffs with marion, and now they match up better with the lakers than any other western conference contender, including the spurs.
probably the biggest improvement in the suns acquiring shaq can be seen in the demeanors of their players. both steve nash and amare stoudemire crowed about how shaq's personality will help the team in the locker room. when shawn marion asked to be be traded this past off-season and said that he didn't want to be the third banana in phoenix anymore, it hurt the chemistry of the team, no matter what the suns' record and marion's stats may suggest. also, there were whispers that marion and stoudemire didn't get along, in contrast to shaq and amare quoted as being good friends. the suns seem to be happier with this trade, which in itself is worth much more than people realize.
in the end, the benefits listed of trading for shaq are contingent on his health. but it was a risk that they needed to take; the window for a championship is closing fast with nash not having too many years ahead of him. if they have a healthy shaq, they have a better chance in the playoffs than they did with marion, but then again, that's one big 'if.'
1 comment:
this is respectable.
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