[Miami Herald] Shaq-Marion Deal In Works (UPDATE: Done Deal)

according to espn trade machine,james and snyder for miller works!!

 

I agree that the Suns had to make some kind of move because the Lakers pretty much leapfrogged over them with the Gasol trade, but this is one of those moves that doesn't really do much. Are they closer to being a championship team? Yes..if the Shaq they traded for was the Shaq of 2-3 years ago. Motivation can only carry a 35 year old, 300+ lb body so far.

I think Nash will be fine. I don't know why some here worry that Nash can't run a half-court offense. The problem I see is that the Suns offense is predicated on Nash penetrating down the paint with three shooters out on the perimeter and one player (Amare or Diaw) in the post. With Shaq, they better get used to two guys camping down low. Might not sound like a problem now, but I think that'll shorten the area for Nash to operate.

And like I said before, if Kerr was intent on finding a defensive post presence he should have traded Marion/Banks for Wallace/Gordon or for Gasol. That's the one thing I don't like about this trade: it's looking a lot more like a reactionary move than anything else. Why? Because if they wanted to contend with Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the playoffs, wouldn't a Amare for Garnett during the offseason fill that hole?

 

I think this is a good deal...

both players were disgruntled...

Marion will get to play with wade... and probably get more plays called in his direction...

Shaq is a playoff beast... Nash finally gets to play with a true center...

looks more and more like a one shot deal... putting it all on the line....for this year...

lets face it Suns were never going to win it all running the ball... and if your going to play half court type offense in the playoffs...

 

I have to agree with Manny on this one. I think some of Shaq's play has been due to a souring of his relationship with Riley. That whole team has quit on Riley. They all are looking bad. I bet Shaq totally resurrects his career in Phoneix.

IMHO, this make Phoenix the team to beat.

If Shaq gets healthy, he'll have to be double teamed, and that would be real tough, when you have Amare, Nash, Barbosa and Hill.

They may be old, but this is one heck of a team now. One other thing that Shaq adds is that he knows how to win a championship. The rest of the Phoenix team hasn't. But, even if Shaq isn't healthy, I think he'll lead them and drive them to win.

I think Shaq is going to get another ring ... and what a game it will be if they meet the Lakers in the playoffs ... lol

 

I knew steve kerr would run this franchise into the ground. How the heck can you destroy that team?

 

This is good news for the ROX. We match up better against the Suns now and wont get ran out of the building. But that move does make the Suns a better team for the playoffs. They had the same team over again and fell short so they had to do something different. As long as we dont get matched up with Dallas I think the ROX can win the 1st round.

 

REVITALIZED SHAQ THEORY
Give it up guys! I have said it a million times in this thread but I will bold it this time to make sure you guys get the point!
-Shaq played in the FINALS 2yrs ago when he was in better shape. The FINALS! He had everything to play for. His opponent? Erick Dampier. The results? Not so great... His time has gone! No revitalization in his future. If it didn't happen then it will never happen.

 

Please pass your physical Shaq!

This is an AWFUL trade for the Suns IMO. Shaq is done and will bog down the Suns style while they lose a main cog in Marion.

Have no idea why the Suns are doing this...

 

Everyone keeps talking about it from the Suns perspective. I think it should be fun to see how Wade and Marion look on the court together. Great move by the Heat to get rid of a HUGE amount of dead weight.

Back to the Suns, I also think this is a 'it's not working, we need to do something new' move. And I don't entirely disagree. It's like the Buffalo Bills, or at least in the same sport, the Sacramento Kings of a few years ago. They are incredibly good, just not good enough to get over the edge of winning a championship. And I believe they are past the jump zone now, I can only see the Suns' chances getting worse and worse. So I don't blame them for trying something new, it's worth a shot. Shaq is still very puzzling, considering all the other dramatic moves so far where it looks like they could've landed something better.

 

One advantage to have Shaq is playoff time when everything slows down and becomes a half-court offense. I don't think is a good move for both sides but it would make the playoffs in the West sick I would be in favor of a top 16 playoff system at that point, other than Detroit, Boston and maybe Orlando what does the east have?!?

 

Most idiotic trade from Suns perspective. Another great trade by Pat Riley who continues to screw other GM's around the league.

 

I think the suns will still make the playoffs, but their attack is severly dibilitated. Shaq isn't even completely healthy and I kind of feel that this is an insult to his career. In no way does this help phoenix.


Miami now has Marion and Wade which is a very very bright future with the top 5 pick

starting lineup could be:

PG: Derrick Rose
SG: wade
SF: Davis
PF: Marion
C: Haslem


That is an undersized run team my friends

 

Like everyone else here, I was dumbfounded when I heard about this this morning. Here's an article from SI.com that better explains this trade from the Phoenix POV by Jack McCallum:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/02/05/heat.mccallum/index.html?eref=T1

Suns poised to acquire Shaq
Phoenix set to roll the dice in trade involving Marion

In a recent phone call to Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal assured the Phoenix Suns' All-Star point guard, "I won't let you down." If O'Neal passes his physical, which should take place sometime around 4 p.m. ET this afternoon, he will get the chance to prove that is true.

The physical is the last obstacle in the completion of a trade that would send Shaq to the Suns for four-time All-Star forward Shawn Marion and backup point guard Marcus Banks.

Sources say that the initial calls were made by Miami and that relations between Shaq and coach Pat Riley have become strained; that is not surprising with two competitive old hands trying to muddle through a campaign that has become downright embarrassing. (The Heat were 9-37 entering Wednesday's game at Detroit.) Both owners, Micky Arison of Miami and Robert Sarver of Phoenix, were heavily involved from the beginning. There have been reports that the deal was made over the heads of the Suns' basketball staff. Coach Mike D'Antoni would not comment, but well-placed sources indicate that he not only acceded to it but also pushed for it.

There was concern, on both sides, that Marion would balk at the deal. But sources say that Marion has given his OK to go to Miami. Before the season, Marion squelched a potential trade with the Boston Celtics by saying he would exercise his opt-out clause after this season. It's unclear whether he will still do that, but, in any case, he remains an attractive option for Miami -- either a major piece in a massive rebuilding job, or more off-the-books money to spend in what will surely be an active offseason for the Heat, who have fallen hard after winning the championship two seasons ago.

One of the last players in the NBA who would seem to fit the run-and-gun style of the Suns would be O'Neal. Even in his best days, the Heat center, who turns 36 on March 6, was no sprinter, and these are far from his best days. He has played in only 32 of the Heat's 46 games this season, is currently inactive with recurring pain in his left hip and leg and has missed an average of 20 games over the past six seasons with a variety of injuries.

This deal, however, is about more than what happens on the court. The Suns were not, and have never been, a team in turmoil, but it has not been a happy locker room in Phoenix season. Nash, in particular, has become gloomier as the weight of winning a title falls heavier and heavier upon his slender shoulders. (He turned 34 on Thursday.)

"I think this is going to bring a lot of life back to Steve," a Suns source said. "He was very revved up after talking to Shaq."

If O'Neal passes his physical, he will likely make a hand-waving appearance at the Suns' game Wednesday against the New Orleans Hornets, a serious Western Conference rival.

But how does Shaq fit the Suns' running offense? Not at all. But as the Suns see it, they seldom run a five-man fast break, and Shaq would be the in-bounder. In the half-court, the high pick-and-rolls run by Nash and current center Amaré Stoudemire would be more effective with a Shaq duck-in always available as an option. Plus, though he is averaging a career-low 14.2 points when he does play, Shaq still commands a double team, which leaves things more open for perimeter shooters such as Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa and even Stoudemire. One of the Suns' most glaring weaknesses -- second-chance points -- is addressed if the Big Saguaro (as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has already nicknamed him) comes on board.

Defensively, as increasingly immobile as he might be, Shaq would be able to defend against the bigger frontcourt players (such as San Antonio's Tim Duncan and new Laker Pau Gasol), a weakness of Stoudemire's.

Stylistically, though, there would be major changes in Phoenix. Losing Banks, who has never caught on with D'Antoni, would be no big deal; Barbosa has been the backup point guard and perhaps the versatile Boris Diaw will now be more ball-handling when Nash needs a rest. But Marion defines the essence of the Suns, a fast-moving, athletic player who is also the most versatile defender on a team not known for defense.

The money would work under salary cap provisions. Shaq is on the books for $20 million this season (as well as each of the next two seasons), a figure close to the combined salaries of Marion ($16.4 million this year) and Banks ($3.9 million). And there is a lot of optimism that it will work in the locker room.

But on the court it is a big move for the Suns, who not only sell themselves as a get-up-and-go offensive team but also stood a West-best 34-14 through Tuesday. It would be a risky move to take on a center with declining athleticism, even one bound for the Hall of Fame.

 

ok, lets trade PHX some of our assets for Shaq!!!! Yao starting with the Diesel coming off the bench?!?!?!! INSANITY. seriously tho, that would b awesome

 

True, but the reality is that Marion can opt out and wants a max extension at the end of this season. That extension would tap them out for the next six seasons during which time they'll need to resign Barbosa and Stoudamire. This way they can have Shaq for a season and a half, and then use his huge expiring contract as trade bait in 2010-2011. Financially it does make sense, chemistry-wise is what has left me puzzled.

 

This is idiotic. Shaq is a shell of his former self. Phoenix just got slower, older, and I bet their rebounding and defense gets worse. It's great for the rockets. Yao can guard Shaq, Hayes can guard Amare, and Marion will no longer toss in 3-point daggers as a result of stupid T-Mac rally killers (three pointers). I hope we get Phoenix in the first round. What about Phoenix next year when Nash and Shaq are a year older. I can't believe what a dumba.. move this is.

 

The translation is
"according to dummy,james and snyder for miller works!!"

 

This move makes boatloads of sense for the Heat: They get Shaq's $60 million off the books and get a very good player in Marion. They now posses the ability to resign Wade and go after potential free agents like Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, etc.. As for what PHX gets, I'm not quite sure. Like many folks here, I thought that Shaq was just about done. After reading the McCallum article, I'm no longer sure. One thing I do know: if PHX can somehow integrate Shaq's low post game into their current offense, they will have something that the Dallas Mavericks can only dream about - a real inside game. That's been their biggest weakness IMHO for the past 3 years.

 

What's terrible about this deal is that it is apparently a completely reactionary move. Trades like this are the reason why you should never make big decisions out of fear. It appears that very little time was given to rational thinking and reasoning out what personnel moves would be best for the franchise ... heck, with the speed at which this happened, I'd be surprised if they had more than one 30 minute conference about the deal before pulling the trigger on it.

Here's the deal.
1. The Parker-less San Antonio Spurs come into their house last week and defeat them handily despite having Jacque "the brick" Vaughn as their leading scorer. "Uh oh. The Spurs own us. We're never going to be able to beat them. "

2. Lakers surprise everyone by trading for Gasol. Suns look at a frontline of Gasol, Bynum, Odom and Turiaf, and get scared. How are they going to match up against that?

3. Kerr's busy making some calls around the league ... "Hey MJ ol' buddy, how about Marion for your boy Okafor?" "Nah.... I ain't buyin' that yet. BTW, did you hear Dallas is trying to get Shaq?" "WTF? BRB."

Full panic mode, the Suns swoop in and snatch Shaq ostensibly from the hands of the Mavericks, and give away Marion in the process.

It'll take a few more weeks before they realized how badly they've screwed themselves over. The second half of the season will be interesting, that's for sure.

 

Wow this season has quickly turned into the dumbest GM competition. First Chris Wallace sent away Pau Gasol for nothing. Then, not to be out done, Steve Kerr let go their best PF for a $40 mil moving refrigerator. Isiah Thomas is now officially 3rd on the list