Where Battle Wounds Happen

Diesel for Matrix?

Shaq for Marion??!! When I first read the posts about this trade last night I laughed out loud. It was totally out in left field, it wasn't feasible, it would destroy everything that makes the Suns who they are, AND they would be trading for the right to spend incredible money for a broken-down past-his-prime has-been. This really was some sort of joke that needed to be reserved for April Fool's Day only that would be after the trade deadline so someone had to spread the joke, right? If it was true Suns' management had lost their damn minds. Being the realist that I am, I chalked it up to a weird rumor in reaction to the trade the Lakers had just pulled off for Gasol. This was nothing more than bloggers inventing an absurd scenario to smear across the internet.

Fast-forward to this morning. My friends, knowing I am a die hard Suns fan, awoke me from this dream and told me it was a physical-pending reality. Initial reaction: gut wrenching disbelief. A few hours later I'm really struggling to find the silver lining in this whole porquería.

So here goes my attempt at putting a positive spin on all this. As much as I hate to admit it, the Suns would have to have the perfect combination of things to go right during this season and the playoffs in order for them to come out of the west and win the championship. Although it makes for great television and lots of regular season wins, the Suns style of play is not a proven winner come playoff time. Granted, the Suns have had a run of bad luck in the playoffs starting three years ago with Joe Johnson getting injured, followed by not having Amare next season, then the infamous suspensions of last year. But realistically, they have a hard time matching up against San Antonio and sometimes against Dallas. I know everyone is going crazy now that the Lakers have Gasol, but San Antonio and Dallas are still the only teams that Phoenix has to worry about.

So Phoenix needs a true center who can play some defense against some of the bigs in the west. Nobody is available except for the "most dominant player of our generation". If Shaq can be somewhat healthy and be ready for the playoffs maybe this works. Phoenix doesn't need a completely dominant Shaq, they just need someone to defend the paint and keep opponents off the offensive glass. If Shaq can do that, then maybe this can work. No matter how we look at this, Duncan is going to have a tougher time against Shaq than he ever did against Amare or Boris.

Financially, I thought this was murder for the Suns bogging them down with a $20 million per year contract. Then I thought about it for a second; Marion was making $16.5 million this year and $17.something next year, and Shaq makes a straight up $20 million this year and next. Although I thought Banks played well and fit into this system, if we're not going to play him I guess it's good to get rid of his contract that was paying him $4-5 million for sitting on the bench. Marion wanted an extension for money that he just wasn't going to get and would have probably tried to leave next year without the Suns being able to use him as trading bait. So if this works out for the Suns, they actually save money in the long run, something team owner Sarver seems to be adamant about.

The chemistry issue is another thing that seems to have been a problem. I don't understand it, and I've written about it before, but Marion seems to have this complex that he's not appreciated. Not that being the highest paid player on the team, an All-Star, an Olympian, and perennial number 1 fantasy pick have anything to do with appreciation. Marion wants to be the man and in Phoenix he wasn't even the main sidekick to the man. Chemistry matters, winning solves a lot of those issues but just look to the Lakers of a few years ago when they had Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton. Those guys ruled the league and won everything and then finally it seemed that they couldn't play together in the finals and got whooped bad. If Shaq can come in and know his place and be a good sport then this issues seems to be solved.

The Nash factor plus urgency. Nash is probably the only player on this planet that would be able to seamlessly incorporate another player with such a clashing style of play. I am confident that Steve Nash can make this work. Finally, Shaq adds to the urgency factor. Nash and Hill need to win now or next year. Shaq does too. Marion and Stoudamire are young and don't seem to realize that the opportunity to play for a contender should be considered a blessing and such a transient opportunity. Shaq called Nash and told him he wasn't going to let him or the team down; the whole team now has something to prove, that they can win when nobody says it is possible anymore.

Now for the bad. Why the hell mess with something that's not broken! Phoenix has the best record in the west and has their style of play down to a science. Yes, any team with a decent power-forward has been killing us during the season (two losses to Minnesota). Yes, we've been getting killed almost every game on the offensive glass because we're just not big enough. But is it really the wisest of decisions to essentially blow up everything you have in place just for the chance to get a few more rebounds per game? Maybe it was just bad luck in the playoffs. The Suns could have finally done it by just sticking to their guns and make everybody else change to their style and not vice versa. The Spurs are getting old and have never repeated before, Dallas just isn't as dominant, and the rest of the west hasn't proven themselves in the playoffs.

Shaq can SLOW down the game and probably won't be able to keep up with the Suns fast pace. Then there is the risk of continued injuries. He hasn't been healthy this year and really hasn't been 100% for awhile. Did Phoenix just spend $40 million on a somewhat, depends on the day of the week, serviceable old guy?

Marion seemed to be the guy that made Phoenix's style of play work. He is a great defender, he lead the team in rebounds, steals and blocks and he didn't even have a play run for him. He made things happen, he was always the first guy up the court to finish a fast break. He is versatile beyond any player in the league. He can defend the other team's best player and still get 20 and 10 with a few steals and blocks. I even question if the Suns style can work at all without Marion. He picked up the slack from Nash and Stoudemire when they just sort of floated around on defense. Shaq is really only going to be responsible for the paint and that's it. Marion could defend the paint and the perimeter. As my favorite player, I'm really going to miss everything that Marion brought every single night. He really was the most consistent stud on that team.

So here's hoping that Shaq can get healthy and be motivated enough to kick some Western Conference booty come playoff time. He gets a new lease on life and another chance to win a championship. This really is a bold move for the Suns and it doesn't mesh with the "No Balls Association" label that Bill Simmons has placed over the league. The Suns just went all in, gambling everything for the chance for a big finish now. All I can do now is pray that it works.