The Phoenix Suns Trade Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami for Shaquille O'Neal
The Phoenix Suns have stunned their fans by giving up on the admittedly disgruntled, yet talented Shawn Marrion, trading him (and Marcus Banks) for the once dominant, but now pedestrian Shaquille O'Neal.
Wow.
Shaq's physical prowess and dominance peaked in the 2000/2001 season, where he was a man among boys. If you watched the Lakers much that season, you knew their go-to play. Get it low to Shaq, let him bang the opposing center, and then dunk the ball. He was a force of nature back then. But time waits for no man, and it is especially impatient for NBA centers, who have a knack of hitting a wall in the early to mid 30s and going downhill quickly. Shaquille O'Neal is no different. After the Lakers first championship this century, Shaq showed signs of slowing down. Yes, the Lakers won two more rings in the subsequent years, and made it to the Finals in 2003/2004 only to lose, but the game was increasingly being played through Kobe. Shaq had his moments, and he still commanded special attention from the defense, but gone were the days where he could physically dominate any opponent at will.
When the Lakers traded Shaquille to the Heat, I thought they were getting $0.60 on the dollar and showing disrespect to the reason they won their three consecutive rings. The day Shaq was traded I wrote:
This is a tough day for Lakers fans, like myself, who liked the Big
Fella and was hoping to see him wrap up his career here in L.A. In a
perfect world, Shaq would hand the torch over to Kobe, like Kareem did
with Magic back in the early 80s, but neither of these two megastars
seem to be able to put aside their egos and pride long enough to
realize that doing so would be in their mutual best interests. ... The stinger is what the Lakers are getting back for Shaq: Odom, Grant,
and Butler. All decent players in their own right, but combined I
still think Shaq is a better player. Bigger. Stronger. More
dominant. Let me put it this way: even in a loaded Western conference,
Shaq could create mismatches and demand a double-team.
The trade seemed lopsided. And it was not managed well, as the Lakers traded a talented and improving Caron Butler (and a washed up Brian Grant) to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown, a cosmic wrong that wasn't righted until their recent trade for Gasol. But I understood the decision from a financial and long term perspective. Kobe still had more years on his legs. Shaq, I figured, was done without a suitable side kick and a deep bench with talented role players. Of course we all know what happened - Shaq went to Miami, teamed up D.Wade, and the Heat surrounded them with a better than average team and they ended up winning it all (thanks, in large part, to the Dallas Mavericks melting down and losing four straight games after winning the first two).
But now Shaq is well on his decline, as evidenced by the Heats dismal record - 9-37, the worst in the league. He's still one big dude, but he lacks the hops and the speed and the physical domination that once made him the most dangerous offensive threat on the court (well, except in crunch time, when you could just send him to the foul line). Which is what makes the trade with the Suns so perplexing. The Suns whole offense is built on speed and dexterity, on being able to have Steve or Barbosa slash to the basket, draw the double, and hit the cutter or dump it out for the 3-ball, on being able to push the tempo on fast breaks and score quick, easy points in transition. I fail to see how Shaq helps this offensive scheme. He routinely gets beat down the court; his lack of an outside shot means he's going to continually clog the lane, reducing opportunities for the Suns slashers.
And I've not even commented on the financial issues here. Shaq is still on the hook for two years at roughly $20 million per year. Ick. This trade was a mistake for so many reason, but what's most alarming is that there's no exit strategy. If Shaq doesn't work out, if he gets a serious injury or just doesn't mesh with the offense that the Suns want to run, they are stuck for two years. No other team is going to assume Shaq's contract, especially if he fails miserably in Phoenix. In short, first year GM Steve Kerr is making a two year bet. I hope for his sake, and for the sake of the Phoenix faithful, that it's a bet that works out.
In closing, I think the Shaq trade stems in part from the Lakers acquisition of Gasol. The Suns saw that their small ball wasn't getting them past the other big teams in the West. They saw LA improve their front court, and they figured they needed to match suit. Maybe they did need to do something, maybe their approach will never get them to the promise land. Steve Nash isn't getting any younger, after all. I just think their direction is questionable.
It makes you wonder how hard the Suns were trying for KG this summer. A question for Suns fans: would you rather have received Shaq for Marrion, or KG for Amare?