Shaq seems OK, now go get Brent Barry.

Shaq's first game with the Suns against his nemesis Lakers might have proven 2 different things, both good and bad for the Suns fan. The Shaq experiment might be a big success after all, but it might still not matter because the Lakers might be the best team in the West. Even if the Lakers are not the best, they may just be better than the Suns. I sure hope the Suns can get better chemistry wise as Shaq plays every day for the next 30 games, but still the Lakers are just too good and the Suns can't stop them. And they are only going to get better when Bynumm comes back. For the Suns, I think it becomes a sightly better match-up if Bynum plays because Shaq can stay with him. I think Gasol and Odom are nightmare match-ups for both Shaq and Amare. Speaking of Amare, we could clearly see him getting freed up with Shaq out there. I feel like we are ready to see his full potential now for the first time since 2004. It's just too hard for defenses to keep an eye on both these guys.

Of course Kobe had a monstrous game. He is still the Lakers heart and soul and he is tough to defend for the entire World. The Suns tried to defend him with Raja and Hill, but couldn't do it that well. Plus Gasol looks awesome for the Lakers. He is way more than a side-kick and Kobe should love to have him by his side. Like I said before, the Suns need one more perimeter defender who can also shoot and try and defend guys like Kobe once in a while. Brent Barry anyone? Apparently the Spurs traded him hoping for the Sonics to buy him out so they can get him back. I think the Suns should get him. He can fill a couple of different roles for the Suns. This is a must. If Grant Hill gets hurt, they can't guard a single small forward in this league with this team. They need some backup there.

At the end of the day, the Suns are still playing near 500 ball against the West and until they go on a Western tear, the confidence level in this team is going to be low for some folks. But I definitely expect them to handle Boston on Friday and Detroit on Sunday at home. Should be great games, but with Shaq on the court, they should be able to handle the Eastern teams like they always did.