Now that THE TRADE is done and the initial wave of criticisms are done, it's time to look at it again. I think this needs to be called THE TRADE, especially for the Suns. Blockbusters are dime a dozen in the NBA these days and even for Shaq, this is his 4-Th stop in his career. But this one was still special because it was bold, it was done by a team that was leading the West and was widely considered a championship contender. Steve Kerr, in some sense, ripped the blue print apart and went in a new direction right in the middle of a successful season. Suns got a huge superstar in Shaq and lost one of their key pieces in the Matrix. So this is a big trade for the Suns any way you look at it.
I would say the second wave of reaction pretty much is in favor of THE TRADE. A lot of people like ESPN's Scoop Jackson are saying this is a genius move and only Kerr and D'Antoni get it. Granted, Scoop Jackson should not be quoted like an expert, but he is not alone in the approval of the trade. Many people think this can work. And of course as a Suns fan, I am always hoping these trades work out like a charm. I still have my doubts, but I can't wait to see Shaq run with these Suns. Shaq is very interesting if not anything else and he was his usual charming self in his introductory presser. It was awesome when he said "I'm very upset. You just don't want to get me really upset. When I'm upset, I'm known to do certain things . . . like win championships." Only Shaq!
It will be very interesting to see what Shaq brings to this team. Like I said, D'Antoni and Shaq both have to adjust to make it work and Nash is the glue who can make it all happen. "I've never had a point guard like him," O'Neal said. "As I was telling Steve, I haven't got an easy bucket in six years." He is now practicing with the team and all the talk is about when he will make his Suns debut. Suns are on national TV for the foreseeable future! Their next 5 games are on national TV and now the speculation is that he'll play on Thursday at home against Dallas on TNT instead of the front-end of the back-to-back at Golden State on ESPN. I want him to play if he's ready. Winning is more important than making a splash at home. Plus the Suns have trouble these days in Oakland. They need help. Nash can't guard Baron or Monta and without Marion, I am not sure how they are going to stop the W's. Monta scored 15 straight the last time the Suns were in Oakland. Nelly kills Nash on the defensive end by constantly going at him with either the bigger Baron or the quicker Monta. Of course Shaq can't guard either, but the point is, the Suns can use any defensive help they can get without Marion.
At the end of the day, I am also willing to give Kerr the benefit of the doubt. I am not sure how this'll work and defensively their perimeter got even worse now with Marion gone - who guards Nowitzki now?. But I do realize that the team pre-trade was not going anywhere. They have a glitzy record to lead the West, which is pretty impressive, but they are 21-2 against the East and just 15-13 in the West. Thats not going to get it done in the playoffs unless David Stern decides to move the Suns to the Eastern conference to atone for his sins against the Suns during last year's playoffs. And with the Lakers getting Gasol, the Suns life only got tougher in the West. So they had to do something. Is this the right move?, time will tell, but at least it's a big move. They finally went out and got a hall of fame center and it's worth the risk. May be it's just wishful thinking, but I am going to watch this with great expectations. I would just feel a little more comfortable if they pick up another solid perimeter defender who can also shoot the 3 a little bit. I would say those are the 2 deficiencies as of now.
Strap on your seat-belts. The Diesel powered Ferrari might just got started.
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