I wrote a few blogs tonight, I was ready for bed, decided to check to see why my cell phone’s text messaging beeps had gone off a few times earlier and BAM…the floor dropped out from under me and my world got flip turned upside down (thanks Fresh Prince).
My beloved Phoenix Suns are trading Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq Daddy. The Big Aristotle.
My first inclination was to cry. I love Shawn…he’s been my favorite player ever since I saw him dunk a ball as a Sun for the first time.
It was horrible enough to get slapped across the fact with this trade, but now I find out he WANTS it to go through. He was talking about a trade before the season started and I figured it would just die out.
I guess not.
And now what about Shaq. I mean, seriously, Shaq? In PHOENIX? The Run and Gun Phoenix Suns? The only thing Shaquille O’Neal has been running to lately is either a 3-foot long sub or the injured list. In the last 18 games, he’s only played in 4.
FOUR.
This entire trade hinges on him passing his physical on Wednesday, but I am pretty sure it’s a done deal.
Marion was going to be gone soon anyways, once his contract was up in two years, and the Suns definitely need rebounding and defense after the Lakers added Gasol and have Bynum returning soon.
But can Shaq fit in here? Can he stay healthy?
Will I be able to even sleep tonight?
booooooooooo
Insane trade. Shawn would have to be a clubhouse cancer the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Giving Nash wedgies, putting itching powder in Amare’s jock, punching Raja in the nards. It’s a horrible trade.
Though it does almost fix one problem created by a terrible management decision: Marcus Banks is packaged in the deal. Every time I see Marcus Banks, I think what we could have and should have gotten with that pick in the draft: Marcus Williams. Yeah, why wouldn’t we want a big, pass-first point guard, molded by Jim Calhoun, in the mode of Nash or Kidd? Let’s take a flyer on a known cancer and shooter like Banks instead. That’ll work out *great*!
Oh, I also like that Miami might toss in Smush Parker. I mean, he hasn’t played in months because of legal problems, but if he comes back I can buy my dog Parker a jersey with her name on it.
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..Schadenfreude
I hadn’t heard the Smush Parker bit…ugh, he’s worse than Banks…
Marion has always had an attitude which is getting worse I think, so this was something that was inevitable…but still sad.
Horrible trade…but if Shaq is motivated…it might be okay. I mean, if you are hurting and playing for the Heat, was motivation do you have to get back out on the court?
If you play for the Suns and Nash…hmm…
I’m still not sure how I feel about this… I keep flip-flopping (ever since I was woken up in the middle of the night by a sad Suns fan – you know who you are). I guess it all depends on factors we don’t know … how much of a cancer was Shawn in the locker room and how much does Shaq still have in the tank.
But on a personal note, Shawn Marion, I will miss your consistent intensity – i.e. always running, solid defense, jumping for rebounds then sprinting down the floor to get paid off by Nash with an alley-oop.
Matrix is my absolute favorite Sun. I am devastated. I’m really mad at the Suns and it will take me awhile to get over it. Shaq is 36, right?? You’ve got to be kidding me. We’ll get two seasons out of him if we’re lucky. He is OLD and INJURED. This is the worst deal I’ve ever heard of and I have no idea how it solves some of our salary issues. Plus I hate Shaq since he left his wife and like 5 kids last year. What a jerk.
nicky’s last blog post..Weekly Shopping Picks: 2/4/08
Sorry Nicky
It doesn’t solve any salary cap issues until he’s gone, but in reality, we had Banks and Marion until then anyways for almost the same combined dollar figure, so we didn’t lose much.
He’s 35, but turns 36 in a month.
Shawn used to be my favorite Sun but his complaining over every summer just got to be so annoying. The Suns needed a change–I didn’t expect this–nobody did–but I have to admit I’m a little excited to see what happens. I’m glad I have NBA League Pass now!
Great breakdown from the Basketball Prospectus, including this great bit:
It’s true that Marion, for whatever reason, was not happy in Phoenix. Getting to run the floor, fire up threes, and catch alley-oop passes from Nash must really suck, and Marion apparently thinks basketball nirvana is shooting at will for a bad team.
(It’s not. I once thought that it was. But then I was on a really horrific intramural team for my fraternity at Mizzou. I don’t think anyone else had hardly ever picked up a basketball. We’d lose like 90-35, with me getting 30 of our points by shooting like 12 for 50. It wasn’t as much fun as I thought it’d be.)
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..Schadenfreude
Trade is official now…
Is it possible for someone (anyone?) in Phoenix to give Shaq a chance before they hate on him and blame him for whatever MIGHT happen but hasn’t yet?
Shaq is going to be motivated and I can’t name a single player in the universe that got worse playing with Nash as their PG so take a breath and stop. Give Shaq a chance. You won’t be sorry.
If this works out you just stole exec of the year from that idiot Danny Ainge.
Exec of the year is supposedly the Lakers guy now anyways, but I’m all on board giving Shaq a chance…it’s just that the trade is such a stunner that it took some getting used to.
But from the stuff I’ve heard in the last few hours, I like it now.
Nah. Exec of the year goes to Kupchak for filching Gasol for some shiny beads and a three-year-old fruitcake.
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..Schadenfreude
I will be happy as long as Danny Ainge doesn’t win it.
No one that acts that way deserves it.
[...] have to admit, I was shell-shocked Tuesday night when I found out the news that Shaquille O’Neal was coming to Phoenix and that [...]